Police in Beverly Hills, California, responded Saturday morning to reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, the police department said.
The Messenger reported that the victim was a 75-year-old Jewish man on his way to synagogue.
Alan Tzvika Nissel, principal at Wilshire Skyline and assistant professor at Pepperdine Law, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Here is antisemitism vignette you won’t read about in papers. Yesterday, on way to shul, my father (75) and mother (70) were attacked. After being struck from behind on head by belt and called out as Jew, my father recomposed himself and successfully chased down perp with help of nearby Beverly Hills PD."
Replying to Nissel's post, Rabbi Pini Dunner noted, "And then he came to shul and leined (read from the Torah -ed)! An absolute inspiration to all of us!"
"Patrol Officers responded quickly and located an elderly victim who had sustained a laceration on his head after being struck with a belt," the local police said in a statement. "The victim was accompanied by his spouse during the time of the crime. There is no relationship between the suspect and the victim."
The statement stressed, "During the commission of the crime, the suspect made anti-Semitic statements to the victim."
"The victim was treated by the Beverly Hills Fire Department at the scene and did not require further medical attention. The suspect fled the scene prior to police arrival."
Following a search by police personnel, an individual matching the suspect's description was seen fleeing by a Beverly Hills Police Department Senior Forensic Specialist. Police officers then used the information provided to quickly find, detain, and identify the suspect.
“Our officers quickly apprehended the suspect and he is in custody,” said Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook. “This despicable act of hate against a member of our community will not be tolerated.”
The suspect has been named as Jarris Jay Silagi, 44 year old male of Los Angeles, CA. He is being charged with assault with a deadly weapon, attempted robbery, hate crime, and elder abuse, and being held on $100,000.00 bail at the Los Angeles County Jail.
He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
The investigation is ongoing.