Police: L.A. shooting not a hate crime

Los Angeles police say there is no evidence of a hate crime or connections to terrorism in the shooting of two Orthodox Jews at a Los Angeles–area synagogue.

Police initially listed the Oct. 30 shooting at the Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Synagogue in North Hollywood as a hate crime, but sources told the Los Angeles Times that police are now looking into the possibility that it was related to a business or personal dispute.

The shooter fled on foot. Police arrested a 17-year-old as a possible suspect, but released him. Detectives are studying videos taken by the synagogue’s security cameras. Maor Ben-Nissan and Allen Lasry both were shot in the legs, but were reported in good condition. — jta