A southern California man with a history of antisemitism has agreed to plead guilty to federal hate crime charges for shooting two Jewish men last year after they attended religious services, according to the Department of Justice.
Former Riverside resident Jaime Tran, 29, signed the plea agreement on Tuesday. Prosecutors charged the former UCLA dental student with 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.
Last year’s shootings over the course of 24 hours at two separate synagogues left the Los Angeles neighborhood on edge and shocked the Jewish community. The attacks on the victims were targeted, prosecutors said.
Mr. Tran searched online for locations such as “kosher markets” prior to the shootings. He also told law enforcement officers that he chose the victims based on their “headgear.”
In February 2023, he targeted a Jewish man as he left religious services at a synagogue near the 1400 block of Shenandoah Street in the Pico-Roberston neighborhood of Los Angeles. The victim was shot in the back at close range.
The next morning, Mr. Tran returned to the same area and shot another Jewish person, leaving another synagogue near the 1600 block of South Bedford Street. The victim was shot in the arm.
Both victims wore clothing that visibly identified their Jewish faith, according to prosecutors.
Mr. Tran shot the victims with the intention to kill them, prosecutors said. Both victims survived the attacks.
Witness statements and images of the defendant and his car led authorities to quickly track him down. When he was arrested, he had a rifle and a handgun on him.
An investigation revealed that Mr. Tran was prohibited from purchasing firearms “as a result of previous mental holds,” but was able to access firearms when he traveled to Phoenix. He asked a third party to buy two firearms for him and paid $1,5000 in cash.
Mr. Tran admitted that he developed antisemitic beliefs and made threats of violence against Jewish people in the past.
In 2018, he threatened other students at the UCLA School of Dentistry he believed were Jewish.
His hatred escalated to increasingly violent language in 2022. That year, he sent a former classmate multiple antisemitic text messages. He also sent a mass email to two dozen former classmates that contained a flyer with antisemitic propaganda.
Mr. Tran is expected to appear in court in downtown Los Angeles to enter his guilty plea to the felony charges in the coming weeks.
“Rather than allow these horrific crimes to divide us, however, our community came together and swiftly brought the perpetrator to justice. Hate and intolerance have no place in America,” he said.
Under the plea agreement, Mr. Tran would receive a prison sentence of between 35 and 40 years.
