A break-in at a Studio City home Wednesday was being investigated as a possible hate crime due to threats the suspect allegedly made against the residents, one of whom said the culprit threatened to kill them for being Jewish.
Officers sent to the 3000 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard about 5:25 a.m. arrested the suspect at the scene, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. The man’s name was not immediately released.
The case was initially investigated as a possible burglary, but it was later classified as a potential hate crime due to unspecified threats the man allegedly made against the residents, according to the LAPD.
No injuries were reported, police said.
According to reports from the scene, the man made statements referring to “Israelis.” While in police custody outside the home, the man was seen in a video shouting, “Free Palestine.”
Two adults and four children were inside the home at the time of the break-in, and the husband pushed the man outside and into the backyard, where officers found him armed with a kitchen knife and took him into custody, according to KTLA5.
The female homeowner told KTLA that the man, who appeared to be drunk, broke into the home, entered her bedroom, and made threats.
“He came inside … and he was begging `don’t shoot me; but you’re Jewish, I’m going to kill you because you’re Jewish …,”’ the woman told reporters, in remarks recorded over the home’s intercom system.
Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement Wednesday afternoon condemning the break-in as a “vile act of hate” that has “no place in our city.”
“In the wake of the terror and violence inflicted over the previous weeks, this is one of the worst fears of Jewish families across our country — hatred spilling across the threshold, destroying the sense of safety and sanctuary in a home,” Bass said. “We remain steadfast in support of the Jewish people — the people of Los Angeles will not cower to hate. We will respond to it. The Los Angeles Police Department will continue to conduct increased patrols in communities throughout our city and I call on officials to take action to ensure the person responsible for this heinous act is held fully accountable.”