Police arrested a man linked to two separate shootings of Jewish men in Los Angeles’ Pico-Robertson neighborhood, multiple law enforcement sources told NBC News.
The name of the man was not immediately released. Authorities believe both shootings were carried out by the same gunman. The Los Angeles Police Department said the suspect was arrested in Riverside County and that the case is being investigated as a hate crime.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is working with the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division on the case.
The first shooting happened around 9:55 a.m. Wednesday on the 1400 block of Shenandoah Street and involved a man in his 40s, according to the LAPD. The second incident happened Thursday around 8:30 a.m. on the 1600 block of S. Bedford Street and involved a man in his 70s. Both men had just left a synagogue, and the shootings happened less than a mile apart.
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A statement posted Thursday to the Anti Defamation League's twitter feed by Regional Director Jeffrey I. Abrams stated that, "For the second time in as many days, a member of the Jewish community was assaulted with a deadly weapon leaving a house of worship in the Pico-Robertson area.”
He said the LAPD is investigation the incidents and continues to work with the ADL. "We will Continue to share information as we learn more. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families," Abrams said.
A day earlier, Abrams gave more detail about the first shooting saying that a man was "shot leaving a prayer service," also in the heavily Jewish area of Pico-Robertson neighborhood of West Los Angeles, and that the victim is in stable condition.
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Los Angles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that her office was monitoring the situation.
“It is my understanding that both the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI are investigating these incidents as hate crimes so I want to be very clear: anti-Semitism and hate crimes have no place in our city or our country. Those who engage in either will be caught and held fully accountable," she said.
Following the shootings, the LAPD said it would step up patrols around synagogues, community centers and schools in the area.
Local Jewish leaders say they are working closely with police but want the community to remain positive.
“Whatever the motivation and the circumstance, there’s reason to be concerned. But the answer cannot be, therefore avoid your local synagogue or your local temple," rabbi Anderson Cooper said.
