Man who shot 2 Jews outside Los Angeles synagogues sentenced to 35 years in prison

A man who attempted to murder two Jews leaving a Los Angeles synagogue on consecutive days last year was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Jaime Tran, 30, a former California resident and dental student, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of “using, carrying and discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence”, a a statement from the Department of Justice said.

According to law enforcement, in February 2023, Tran went to Pico-Robertson, a heavily Jewish neighborhood in Los Angeles, looking for Jewish victims, and shot and killed a man who was leaving a synagogue and wearing a yarmulke. The next morning, Tran shot another man wearing a yarmulke and leaving another nearby synagogue.

Both victims were injured in the attacks and survived. Tran was arrested two days later.

In a statement, the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles said it was “grateful for today’s conviction of the perpetrator responsible for the 2023 anti-Semitic shootings in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles, which targeted members of the Jewish community.

The statement added: “We hope that today’s decision will help bring closure to the victims and their families and allow our broader Jewish community to feel protected.” »

According to the indictmentTran had a long history of violent anti-Semitic comments and threats. In the months before his attacks, Tran repeatedly called and texted a former classmate, sending him messages such as “Someone is going to kill you, Jew.” Someone is going to kill you, Jew. Someone is going to kill you, Jew. Someone is going to kill you, Jew,” and “Burn yourself in an oven, you Jew bitch.”

As of 2023, Tran was prohibited from purchasing firearms due to prior mental health issues, according to a Department of Justice statement. But the statement said that around mid-February 2023, he acquired at least two firearms through an intermediary and then “used the Internet to search for locations with a ‘kosher market’.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland, who is Jewish, said Monday in a statement“Despicable acts of anti-Semitic hatred endanger the safety of individuals and entire communities, and allowing such crimes to go unchecked endangers the very foundations of our democracy. »

Garland also alluded to rising rates of anti-Semitism in the past year since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack sparked the war in Gaza.

“As millions of American Jews prepare to observe the high holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Department of Justice reaffirms its commitment to confront, disrupt, and aggressively prosecute criminal acts motivated by anti-Semitism or hatred of any kind,” Garland said. “No Jewish person in America should have to fear that the slightest sign of their identity will make them the victim of a hate crime. »