A Jewish man in his 30s was violently attacked early this week in Los Angeles while walking home from synagogue. The antisemitic assault was captured on security cameras, showing the attacker pinning the Jewish man against a wall, attempting to choke him, and shouting “Free Palestine” along with antisemitic slurs.
The incident occurred around 9:50 p.m. in an alley behind Adas Torah synagogue in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood. The victim, an Orthodox Jew who lives nearby, was taking a shortcut he had used many times before without incident—until that evening, when he was attacked because of his Jewish identity.
Dan Braun, operations manager at Shomrim, a community security organization, said the attacker was holding a window breaker. He estimated the suspect may have intended to use it to break into cars, but when he spotted a man with a distinctly Orthodox Jewish appearance, he decided to attack him instead.
The footage shows the attacker, an African American man, running back to his vehicle after the assault, then realizing he had dropped the window breaker. He exited the car to retrieve it, but because he hadn’t put the vehicle in park, it began rolling. The attacker was forced to return to the car and drive away, leaving behind the tool, which was collected as evidence by police.
Kayla Ora Lubell, who runs the local community website, said that since the events of October 7th, many residents in the neighborhood carry pepper spray. “We’re no strangers to incidents like this,” she said, adding: “I always encourage my community to stay alert.” Braun also emphasized the importance of staying vigilant and avoiding walking alone in dark alleys.