A 17-year-old boy was arrested last week for allegedly spray-painting swastikas on the side of a Jewish temple in Burbank, according to police.
Officers were notified of the allegations on Feb. 16 after two large symbols were found on the wall of Temple Emanu El, which is located in the 1300 block of N. Glenoaks Boulevard, according to the Burbank Police Department.
“Officers canvassed the area for witnesses and surveillance footage and detectives began an extensive follow-up investigation,” said a news release from BPD.
Their investigation led them to the suspect, who has not been identified due to his age, police said, noting that he was also wanted in connection with an incident at Los Angeles Mission College, where he allegedly posted neo-Nazi recruitment materials.
When officers served a search warrant at the teen’s home in Sunland on Thursday, they found evidence that they believed was associated with the vandalism. He was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism, hate-motivated graffiti and defacing a place of worship with a symbol intended to terrorize, BPD’s release said.
Officers said that the case would be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s offices’ Juvenile Division for filing consideration.
After the arrest, Rep. Laura Friedman, who represents the area in the U.S. House of Representatives, shared a statement on the incident.
“Temple Emanu El is my temple. I’ve gathered there with family and friends to worship, celebrate and find community. It is a place that welcomes everyone, not just those of the Jewish faith, and seeing the desecration of its walls with swastikas is heartbreaking,” Friedman’s statement said. “Antisemitic hatred strikes at the heart of everything our community stands for.”
She went on thank law enforcement for their investigation and said that she will “never stop fighting to root out antisemitism across our nation.”
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