Possible hate crime investigated in vandalism of Jewish-owned businesses in Pico-Robertson

Los Angeles police are investigating incidents of vandalism against six businesses in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood since Monday evening as possible hate crimes.

The majority of the businesses vandalized were Jewish-owned, said Alain Cohen, owner of Got Kosher? Bakery.

On Tuesday morning, he got a call from his staff, telling him that the glass storefront was smashed.

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“I came right away, I saw that, I called the police,” he said, “and then I boarded the glass.”

“Later I heard that this was done to five other stores on the same block,” Cohen said. “Someone is systematically targeting our type of businesses.

“It’s clear that if it happens in that particular block in this particular political and international situation, there’s a connection,” he said.

The vandalism comes as authorities have reported an upsurge in antisemitic incidents across the country since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and Israel’s military response. Last November, Los Angeles police launched an investigation into a protest at the Brentwood home of the president of a pro-Israeli lobbying group, where protesters ignited smoke devices in the street and spattered fake blood on the property.

The Anti-Defamation League of California released a statement on the incident, saying it was monitoring the situation.

Police arrived on the scene around 9:20 a.m. Tuesday, said David Cuellar, a LAPD spokesperson.

“Officers located six to seven businesses which were vandalized and the instance is being investigated as a hate crime,” Cuellar said. The majority of those businesses were Jewish-owned.

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Despite rumors, there was no evidence of a shooting, Cuellar said. One building was burglarized, and the others were vandalized with broken glass and graffiti.

Officers suspect that the window smashing may have been carried out by a golf club or a similarly shaped object, Cuellar said.

The perpetrator was caught on another business’ security camera but couldn’t be identified from the photo, according to Cohen.

“Like every Jewish business owner, I don’t feel safe. We are targeted and we have been targeted since the beginning of time, since Abraham to be precise,” Cohen said.

“We are targeted and we need to stand up,” he said. “The Holocaust happened because people didn’t speak up.”