A Jewish couple was attacked in downtown Santa Monica over the weekend by a man armed with a baseball bat and accompanied by a large dog, in an incident now under investigation by police.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department, officers responded Sunday evening to reports of an assault near Broadway and the Third Street Promenade. Investigators said the suspect, identified as Tar Nay, stopped his vehicle in traffic and began shouting threats at two pedestrians crossing the street.
Video shared on social media showed the suspect waving a baseball bat from inside his vehicle before getting out and chasing the couple while yelling accusations including “genocide" and “genocidal." The victims said they believed they were targeted because they are Jewish.
Police said the suspect later returned with his dog, a Cane Corso, which bit the male victim on the thigh. The victim was treated at the scene for minor injuries and did not require hospitalization. Animal control officers took custody of the dog.
Authorities said Nay was arrested a short distance away and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats. Detectives are reviewing witness statements and video evidence to determine whether hate crime allegations will be added.
The victims, who asked not to be identified publicly, are now in contact with the Anti-Defamation League, according to KTLA.
Witness Benjamin Basire, who posted footage of the confrontation online, described the suspect as “an antisemitic pro-Palestinian individual." He wrote that the attack reflected “the globalization of intifada many of you been chanting on our campuses."
Santa Monica police said the investigation remains ongoing and urged anyone with additional information or video footage to come forward.
One of the videos from the incident was posted by Benjamin Basir, an American Jewish attorney, who said on social media that he knows the two and that it was "an antisemitic attack carried out by a pro-Palestinian individual". Basir added, "This is the reality many Jews are facing today in America. History has already shown us where silence and indifference can lead. It proves exactly why we need Israel."