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Santa Monica police said the case is being investigated as a hate crime.
By Shula Rosen
A Jewish couple in Santa Monica was threatened with a baseball bat and attacked by a dog after a man accused them of “genocide” during a confrontation that police are investigating as a hate crime, according to local police.
The incident occurred Sunday at a shopping center and was reported publicly Wednesday.
According to Santa Monica police, the suspect, identified as Tar Nay, stopped his vehicle and confronted two people crossing the street.
Videos posted on social media show the suspect driving slowly near the couple while waving a baseball bat and shouting accusations of genocide.
Additional footage shows the man leaving his vehicle and chasing the couple on foot while yelling “genocide” and “genocide perpetrators.”
Police said the suspect later returned to his vehicle before coming back a short time later with his dog, a male Cane Corso. The dog bit the male victim on the thigh.
The couple sustained minor injuries. The man who was bitten received treatment at the scene and did not require additional medical care.
Authorities charged the suspect with assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats. Police said the dog was transferred to a local animal shelter.
Benjamin Basire, who posted one of the videos online, described the confrontation as “an antisemitic attack carried out by a pro-Palestinian man.” Basire said he personally knows the couple involved in the incident.
“This is the reality many Jews face in America today,” Basire wrote in a social media post. “History has already shown us where silence and indifference can lead. This proves exactly why we need Israel.”
Santa Monica police said the case is being investigated as a hate crime.
Videos circulating online captured parts of the confrontation, including the suspect allegedly shouting accusations at the couple while displaying the baseball bat and pursuing them through the shopping center area.
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