By Sunny Zhou
LOS ANGELES, CA – The U.S. Department of Justice this week charged Jaime Tran, 28, with two federal counts of hate crimes for allegedly shooting two Jewish men as they left religious services in Los Angeles.
According to the criminal complaint, the shootings took place over two days near synagogues in Los Angeles’s Pico-Robertson district, which is home to a substantial Jewish community. Both victims were described as dressed in black jackets and head coverings that “visibly identified their Jewish faith.”
The first incident occurred on Feb. 15, 9:45 a.m. near the intersection of Shenandoah and Cashio, while the second took place on Feb. 16, 8 a.m. a block away near Pickford and South Bedford streets.
Both victims survived, but sustained wounds to the lower back and upper arm respectively.
The complaint alleges that Tran located the Jewish neighborhood after searching for a kosher market on Yelp, and then drove to the area where the first shooting occurred. The next day, he returned to the area when the second shooting occurred. Tran was arrested that evening.
The maximum statutory penalty for each hate crime is life without parole in federal prison, according to the DOJ. The complaint alleges Tran attempted to murder the two victims. Tran was charged the morning of Feb. 17 and made his first court appearance that afternoon.
The LAPD and FBI Los Angeles Field Office are investigating the case with assistance from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Cathedral City Police Department and Fountain Valley Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathrynne Seiden and Maria Jhai of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section are prosecuting this case with Frances Lewis of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section for the Central District of California and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
