A Jewish couple was attacked in broad daylight in downtown Santa Monica, California, after a man allegedly chased them, shouted antisemitic remarks, threatened them with a baseball bat and sicced his dog on one of them, causing minor injuries.
Local police are examining whether the incident was a hate crime. In a video posted on social media, however, the attacker can clearly be heard shouting “genocide,” and the couple were attacked against an antisemitic backdrop.
Antisemitic attack in Santa Monica
(Video: from social media)
The incident first reported on Wednesday night took place Sunday in the late afternoon near a well-known shopping area. According to Santa Monica police, the suspect, identified as Tar Nay, stopped his car while driving on Broadway and threatened two people who were crossing the street.
Videos posted on social media show the suspect driving slowly, waving a baseball bat and shouting at the couple. He is later seen getting out of the vehicle and chasing them on foot while shouting “genocide” and “genocide perpetrators.”
According to testimony, the couple believe they were attacked because they are Jewish. After the initial confrontation, police said, the suspect returned to his vehicle but came back shortly afterward with his dog, a male Cane Corso, which bit the man on the thigh. The victim was treated at the scene and did not require further medical care.
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He released his dog, which bit one of them on the leg
(Photo: From social media, Section 27A)
Police located the suspect on a nearby street and arrested him. He is suspected of assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats. The dog was transferred to a local animal shelter.
Police said investigators are reviewing witness accounts, body camera footage and evidence from the scene to determine whether the incident was a hate crime. Authorities said the suspect also shouted at other people in the area, so no official motive has yet been determined.
One of the videos from the incident was posted by Benjamin Basire. Basire wrote on social media that it was “an antisemitic attack carried out by a pro-Palestinian man.” He said he knows the couple.
“This is the reality many Jews face in America today,” he wrote. “History has already shown us where silence and indifference can lead. This proves exactly why we need Israel.”