Jaime Tran

A 28-year-old male suspect from Riverside remains in custody without bail and is facing federal hate crime charges for allegedly shooting two Jewish men leaving religious services on Feb. 15 and 16 at synagogues in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood.

Jaime Tran, who allegedly has a history of antisemitic behavior, was arrested on Feb. 16 after local and federal authorities tracked him to Cathedral City near Palm Springs. An arraignment hearing for Tran is scheduled on March 9 at the Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles.

The first shooting occurred around 9:45 a.m. on Feb. 15 in the 1400 block of Shenandoah Street, just south of Pico Boulevard and east of Robertson Boulevard. The victim, who police said was 47 years old, was walking to his parked car when an Asian man drove up and fired two shots before driving away. The victim was struck in the back, police said.

The second shooting occurred around 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 16 in the 1600 block of Bedford Street, approximately four blocks southeast of the shooting the prior day. A man in his 70s was struck in the arm, police said. Both victims were taken to hospitals and were treated, and are recovering.

A federal criminal complaint filed on Feb. 17 outlined details of the crimes allegedly committed by Tran. The defendant allegedly confessed to planning the shootings by searching online for a kosher market, and focused on the Pico-Robertson area.

The criminal complaint states that the victims were “dressed in clothing that visibly identified [their] Jewish faith.” Tran told authorities that he targeted Jewish men he saw in the neighborhood because of their head coverings, according to the criminal comAuthorities stated that Tran previously sent threatening emails in 2022 containing antisemitic rhetoric to former students with whom he attended college. The criminal complaint stated that Tran referred to Jewish people as “primitive” in the emails, and blamed “inconveniences” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on “Iranian Jew[s].” In November 2022, Tran allegedly texted a former classmate the message, “Someone is going to kill you, Jew” and “I want you dead, Jew,” according to the criminal complaint.

Authorities credited Tran’s quick arrest to an LAPD officer who responded to the second shooting on Feb. 16. The officer saw a gray Honda in the neighborhood matching the description of a vehicle involved in the shooting and took a photograph of the car and its license plate. Police compared the officer’s photograph to security camera footage from the area and determined it was the same vehicle, according to the criminal complaint. They identified Tran as the registered owner, and used cell phone data to track him to the Cathedral City area.

At approximately 5:45 p.m. on Feb. 16, police in Cathedral City received a call about a man firing a rifle near a parked vehicle. Witnesses heard a gunshot, but it was unclear what Tran was shooting at, and no injuries were reported. Officers responded and arrested Tran. They located a handgun and rifle believed to have been used in the Pico-Robertson shootings. Tran was picked up by LAPD and FBI investigators and returned to Los Angeles.

The shootings caused widespread fear and condemnation. Many people expressed relief that a suspect was quickly arrested.

“I share a deep sense of relief with many in the Jewish community that the suspected gunman is off our streets,” Los Angeles City Councilwoman Katy Young Yaroslavsky, 5th District, said after the arrest. “I’d like to thank the LAPD for their swift action.”

“These attacks against members of our Jewish community in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood are absolutely unacceptable,” Mayor Karen Bass said. “I want to be very clear: antisemitism and hate crimes have no place in our city or our country. Those who engage in either will be caught and held fully accountable. At a time of increased antisemitism, these acts have understandably set communities on edge. My pledge to the Pico-Robertson community and to the city of Los Angeles as a whole is that we will fight this hatred vigorously and work every day to defeat it.” plaint.