Global Courant 2023-04-11 23:24:14
The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested a man on suspicion of defacing a mosque in Koreatown with anti-Muslim hate speech, Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday.
A surveillance camera had captured video of a man writing with permanent marker at the Islamic Center of Southern California, a mosque and cultural center on Vermont Avenue, around 12:40 a.m. Sunday.
Carlos Moran, 43, was taken into custody in the 500 block of Shatto Place near the mosque, Moore said, adding that he claimed he was a king and appeared to be struggling with mental health issues. The chief described the writings as hate-motivated.
The Los Angeles Police Department has released this surveillance image of a man suspected of defrauding the Islamic Center of Southern California.
(Los Angeles Police Department)
The vandalism occurred during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began in late March. Muslims pray daily during the month from shortly before sunrise to sunset and abstain from eating or drinking to bring them closer to God.
“This is an appalling act of vandalism targeting the downtown area where innocent individuals gather for their daily religious observances,” the statement said. Islamic Center of Southern California said in a statement, adding that the community was “deeply saddened and alarmed.”
Since Ramadan, Passover and Easter all coincide, the Los Angeles Police Department had deployed additional resources to patrol places of worship.
Police Chief Michel Moore, center, arrives Monday for a press conference at the Islamic Center of Southern California.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Omar Ricci, a spokesman for the Islamic Center, noted that a imam in New Jersey was stabbed during Sunday prayers in a mosque. He also noted an Israeli police raid on the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem last week.
“All of this has come together and it has certainly caused a lot of pain for us as a community,” he said.
Hate crimes in Los Angeles County are on the rise, rising to the highest level in nearly two decades, according to the most recent annual report from the County Commission on Human Relations.
According to the report released in December, there were 786 victims of hate crimes in 2021, an increase of 23% since 2020 and the most since 2002. More than half of the crimes were motivated by racism.
Religion-motivated hate crimes increased by 29%, from 86 in 2020 to 111 in 2021, and accounted for 14% of all hate crimes. Incidents against Muslims, Jews, Christians and Scientologists all increased.
Moore said Monday that Los Angeles has seen a slight drop in reported hate crimes this year compared to 2022. The city is on track for a 19% drop between 2022 and 2023.
“It’s a glimmer of hope, but it’s also one we need to recognize and use as momentum,” Moore said. “We don’t have to accept the status quo.”
