LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The suspect who allegedly shot and injured two Jews near Los Angeles synagogues last week has been released on bail on charges related to possessing a loaded weapon on a public college campus last year.
Jaime Tran, 28, was arrested last week in connection with the shooting, which is being investigated as a hate crime. According to local police, the former dental student, who is now apparently homeless, used to make anti-Semitic statements.
Additionally, he had previously been arrested for a gun-related crime – but was out on bail. THE Los Angeles Times reported (emphasis added):
The arrest Thursday evening of a suspect confirmed fears that the attacks were targeted. Jaime Tran — who authorities say has a history of making anti-Semitic statements, often specifically about Persian Jews — was arrested in connection with the shooting.
Tran, 28, was charged Friday with federal hate crimes. He admitted to police that he searched for a kosher market on Yelp before the shooting, according to an unsealed complaint in federal court in Los Angeles. If convicted, he faces life without parole in federal prison, prosecutors said.
…
He was caught carrying a loaded handgun on July 3 on the Cal State Long Beach campus, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Police received a call about a man with a gun near the engineering school and approached him. Tran surrendered and told officers he was carrying the gun for protection, prosecutors say. This case, for which he was free on bail, remains open.
THE Orange County Register additional details of the 2022 arrest:
In a letter sent Friday to Cal State Long Beach students, Scott Apel, the university’s vice president for administration and finance, said Tran was arrested on July 3 after university police received a call regarding a man sitting on a bench on campus who may have a gun.
Officers responded and found Tran with a gun that they later learned was stolen, Apel wrote. Tran, a CSULB alumnus, was arrested without incident.
Court records show he was charged with possession of a loaded firearm on a school campus. That case is still pending, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. His next court date was scheduled for February 28.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has come under fire for releasing suspected criminals on bail, where they went on to commit other crimes – in this case, the attempted murder of two Jews.
Los Angeles County DA George Gascón (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Police stepped up patrols in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, the heavily Jewish neighborhood where the shootings took place. Rising crime was a top concern for area voters in the recent Los Angeles mayoral election, which was won by Karen Bass (D). His opponent, developer Rick Caruso, campaigned at Pico-Robertson.
Joel B. Pollak is editor of Breitbart News and host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot Sunday nights from 7-10 p.m. ET (4-7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book Neither Free Nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellow. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
Breitbart
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
