Suspect in custody after shootings of 2 Jewish men in LA

LOS ANGELES — A person was taken into custody Thursday in connection with the shootings of two Jewish men outside synagogues in Los Angeles this week, police said.

The violence set off fear among the city’s Jewish community as police increased patrols around houses of worship and officials decried the attacks.

The two separate shootings occurred after the men left synagogues in the city’s Pico-Robertson neighborhood, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s Southern California branch. Both men survived.

“This is a relief,” the branch wrote on Twitter after the arrest was announced. “Tonight, we can rest easy. Tomorrow, we will continue to fight against antisemitism.”

Additional details about the person’s arrest were not immediately available. Los Angeles Police Officer Rosario Cervantes on Thursday said she could not confirm whether the suspect had targeted the Jewish men as part of a hate crime.

The shootings happened in the morning on Wednesday and Thursday. Detectives said they were likely perpetrated by the same man, though it was not immediately clear whether he was the person who was taken into custody on Thursday.