Jaime Tran convicted of hate crimes against Jews in Los Angeles – The Forward

By Louis Keene
September 30, 2024

The man who shot two Jewish men walking home from a prayer service in Los Angeles last year was sentenced Monday to 35 years in federal prison, a sentence one victim told the judge was “lenient.”

Jaime Tran shot the men from his car on successive mornings in February 2023 in Pico-Robertson, a largely Orthodox enclave on the city’s west side. Both victims suffered minor injuries and were released from the hospital the same day.

Tran told authorities after his arrest that he had been stalking Pico-Robertson after searching for kosher market locations on Yelp. According to court documents, he selected his victims based on their yarmulkes.

The shootings were the worst incident of anti-Semitic violence in decades in Los Angeles, home to the country’s second-largest Jewish community.

Months before the shootings, Tran, an Asian American, had sent anti-Semitic emails to former classmates at UCLA’s School of Dentistry and blamed Persian Jews for causing Covid-19. And in the days before the attacks, Tran had written on an online forum: “Time to kill Jews.”

“This sentence sends a clear and unequivocal message. Hate has no place in our community. Anti-Semitism has no place in our community,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said at a press conference after the verdict.

Estrada noted that almost a year has passed since October 7th. “By standing here we are making a statement that we will not allow ourselves to be divided. We will continue to stand united against hatred, bigotry and hostility of all kinds. We will not tolerate violence of any kind in our community.”

When Tran was arrested nearly 100 miles outside Los Angeles, police found a rifle and a handgun in his car, both of which he had purchased illegally after failing a mental health evaluation.

Tran pleaded guilty in May to hate crimes and firearms offenses in a deal that called for a sentence of between 35 and 40 years in prison. Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence, saying every month she was deprived puts the Jewish community at additional risk. Tran’s lawyer said he was remorseful.

When Judge George Wu offered him the opportunity to address the court before his sentencing, Tran, whose shoulder-length straight black hair obscured his face, responded with a curt “no” before his lawyer made remarks on his behalf. In the statement, he expressed his desire to receive help and “not to put anyone else in danger,” but neither acknowledged nor denied his anti-Semitic motives.

When Wu Tran’s first shooting victim spoke out, the victim – identified only by the first letter of his last name, H. – challenged the judge.

“This is a very lenient proposal,” he said. “I think 40 years is a very lenient suggestion for two people’s lives.”

He added: “Was the judge made aware that he had a machine gun and could have caused a mass casualty situation?”

Wu replied that he was aware of it. But he ruled lower, saying Tran’s actions were primarily due to mental health issues, “which are not a justification but an explanation for why he did what he did.”