A man who shot two Jewish men in a series of hate-motivated crimes that gripped the city of Los Angeles and the Pico-Robertson neighborhood has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Jaime Tran, 30, previously of Riverside, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of hate crimes with the intent to kill and two counts of using a firearm in a violent crime. On Monday, the United States Department of Justice announced he would serve the next three decades in federal prison.
Tran shot and wounded two Jewish men in February 2023 as they left religious services in the Pico-Robertson area, a historic neighborhood with among the highest density of Jewish citizens in the country.
The first shooting happened on the morning of Feb. 13, 2023, when Tran searched the internet to locate a “Kosher market,” hoping to find a Jewish person to shoot and kill. He drove to Pico-Robertson and approached a man wearing a yarmulke who was leaving a synagogue.
From close range, Tran shot the man, narrowly missing his spine, and then fled the scene, the DOJ said.
The following morning, Tran returned to the same neighborhood where he shot another man wearing a yarmulke as he also left a synagogue. Tran shot that man at close range as he crossed the street.
The shootings caused widespread fear and concern within the Los Angeles Jewish community, prompting cautionary messages from Jewish leaders and criticism of social media’s role in spreading rising antisemitic sentiment. Positively, religious leaders from various faiths voiced their support for those affected and living in fear during Tran’s two-day crime spree.
Police increased patrols in Pico-Robertson and other historically Jewish neighborhoods, and Los Angeles officials called for calm and vowed that the perpetrator would be apprehended.
Both of Tran’s victims were able to get a look at their assailant and witnesses were able to provide authorities with a description of the getaway vehicle used.
Using those witness statements and security footage from the scene, authorities positively identified the vehicle used in both shootings and were able to trace the registration to Tran, who was eventually tracked down to the Palm Springs.
Police in Cathedral City responded to reports of shots fired and located Tran with an AK-style firearm and a handgun near the wanted vehicle. Tran told arresting officers he was “practicing” shooting his gun.
In sentencing documents, prosecutors argued that Tran’s “campaign of terror” likely would’ve continued had he not been apprehended the evening of the second shooting.
Following his arrest, the extent of Tran’s obsession with Judaism and antisemitism came into view.
In 2018, Tran left graduate school after making antisemitic comments about other students. Those verbal attacks became increasingly violent, officials said, with him eventually email former classmates he suspected of being Jewish and wishing them harm.
Messages included threats including, “I want you dead, Jew,” and “Someone is going to kill you, Jew.” In dozens of emails sent in 2022, Tran emailed former classmates antisemitic literature and described Jews as “primitive” and blamed them for lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A self-described “ticking time bomb,” Tran also maintained social media accounts with the handle “k1llalljews,” the DOJ said.
Days prior to the first shooting, Tran posted a message online that read: “it’s time to kill all Jews.”
Due to previous mental health holds, Tran was prohibited from purchasing any firearms but in January 2023, he asked another person in Phoenix to buy two guns for him, paying them approximately $1,500, officials said.
That unidentified person was eventually identified and has pleaded guilty in Arizona for illegally selling the firearms used in the shootings.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland called Tran’s actions “vile” and decried antisemitic hatred as endangering the safety of individuals and of entire communities.
“Allowing such crimes to go unchecked endangers the foundation of our democracy itself,” Garland said. “No Jewish person in America should have to fear that any sign of their identity will make them the victim of a hate crime.”
Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central Division of California, said he hoped the sentence handed down Monday sends a “strong message” to the community regarding antisemitism and hate.
“Targeting people for death based solely on their religious and ethnic background brings back memories of the darkest chapters in human history,” Estrada said. “For those who engage in hate crimes, the punishment will be severe.”
The violent shooting spree was investigated by both the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department, with “substantial assistance” from local law enforcement partners, the DOJ said.