Shooter in West LA hate crimes against Jewish men sentenced to 35 years in prison
The man who shot two Jewish men as they left religious services in West Los Angeles was sentenced to spend the next 35 years in a federal prison on Monday.
Earlier this year, Jaime Tran, 30, admitted in a plea deal to shooting the men in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood last year. Tran stated in the agreement that he targeted the men because of their "headgear." Both of the men were wearing yarmulkes when Tran shot them. The suspect also admitted to searching for "kosher markets" before the shootings.
"We welcome this sentencing, which will ensure that Mr. Tran cannot threaten this community for decades to come," said Jeffrey Abrams, Regional Director for the Anti-Defamation League.
In the agreement, Tran pleaded guilty to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
"Mr. Tran through these hateful acts tried to divide our community," US Attorney Martin Estrada said. "He was not successful."
Estrada also noted that the federal prison system does not allow parole.
"This sentence sends a clear and unequivocal message: hate has no place in our community," he said.
The first attack happened on Feb. 15, 2023, in the 1400 block of South Shenandoah Street. Tran shot the victim, a 47-year-old man, twice while he was walking up to his car.
The second shooting happened the following day while Guy Tieb left his synagogue. He was walking to the crosswalk at Bedford and Pickford Streets when Tran drove up to him and started shooting.
"When I moved I heard boom, boom, boom," he recalled. "Three times."
A round struck Tieb's right arm, causing blood to pour down his bicep as he ran to a friend's home for help, with his yarmulkes still on. Both Tieb and the first victim survived.
The Los Angeles Police Department tracked Tran's phone to Cathedral City where FBI agents found him standing next to his Honda Civic, which had two firearms in the front seat of the driver's side. Because of previous mental health holds, Tran was barred from owning firearms since 2023. However, prosecutors say Tran paid someone in Phoenix to buy him weapons.
"While this sentencing cannot fully restore the sense of safety stolen from the two victims and the Jewish community, it is a decisive step towards justice and a clear message that such acts of hate and violence will not be tolerated," said Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi.
Following Tran's arrest, the FBI said they had been monitoring Tran after he'd made antisemitic threats to former UCLA dental school classmates in 2022.
The investigation uncovered that in 2018 Tran left graduate school after making antisemitic comments about other students. Four years later, his actions seemingly escalated when he sent former classmates violent antisemitic language messages. In November and December 2022, Tran emailed two dozen former classmates a flyer containing antisemitic propaganda and followed it up with excerpts from an antisemitic website.