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Fresno police have arrested a man suspected of throwing rocks through glass doors at Temple Beth Israel and an Armenian cafe early Tuesday. The man also allegedly left an antisemitic note at the business, erroneously believing it had Jewish owners.

Orlando Ramirez, 30, was taken into custody later that day and has been charged with felony vandalism, felony hate crime and felony criminal threats in the incident at Noah’s Ark Restaurant & Bakery, according to police.

Ramirez is also a “person of interest” in the synagogue vandalism, Fresno police spokesman Bill Dooley told J. on Friday. Police found a note left at Noah’s Ark stating, “All Jewish businesses will be targeted,” Dooley said, but Ramirez has no known ties to extremist groups and is believed to have acted alone.

Fresno’s police department said it is investigating the synagogue vandalism as a “hate incident” and the cafe vandalism as a hate crime. (A hate crime under California law requires an incident to be both criminal and motivated by bias against a certain group. Not all antisemitic vandalism is charged as a hate crime.)

The city’s response was “very quick and serious,” Rabbi Rick Winer of Temple Beth Israel told J.

Winer said he was notified of damage at the Reform synagogue early Tuesday morning by the custodian. Someone had thrown rocks through the glass door, but “fortunately they didn’t gain access to the building,” the rabbi said.

“As they ran away, they tore down a temporary sign we had up for our upcoming Hanukkah bazaar,” Winer said. A backpack of rocks was also found at the scene.

That same morning, the Armenian owners of Noah’s Ark Restaurant & Bakery found their glass doors shattered by rocks. That incident was captured on surveillance video.

This morning, the Temple Beth Israel was vandalized. Tonight, we gathered there to show support to the Jewish community.

Such hate crimes will not be tolerated in Fresno. An arrest has been made. We stand with Israel and our local Jewish populations and Jews worldwide. pic.twitter.com/eTBToKqldO

— Mayor Jerry Dyer (@MayorJerryDyer) October 11, 2023

The atmosphere remains tense in Fresno following a city press conference on Thursday when the city raised Israeli flags in solidarity following last weekend’s massacre in the Jewish state. Palestinian supporters took issue with the city’s decision.

They were “encircling us, shouting at us that we were Nazis,” Winer said. “So the climate is not fantastic.”

But Winer said he “gets it” that people are upset and on edge, including many of the protestors.

“Our community decries all violence toward innocent victims,” Winer said.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer spoke out against the shouting protestors, according to Fox26.  In a show of solidarity, Dyer also attended a Temple Beth Israel gathering this week in support of Israel.

Today, we raised the flag of Israel at Eaton Plaza to show support for the Jewish community following the recent attacks. pic.twitter.com/63uZUKEFu2

— Mayor Jerry Dyer (@MayorJerryDyer) October 12, 2023

The police released a statement on Thursday, after the city press conference: “We are aware of statements made calling for action overseas relating to the Middle East conflict. We have NOT identified any credible threats specifically in our community. However, we will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of Fresno.”

According to local media, the Israeli flags are receiving 24-hour security to avoid any vandalism.