The Thanksgiving Day demonstration that took place in front of the Brentwood home of Michael Tuchin, President of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore confirmed the hate crime investigation on Friday afternoon.
“Video evidence and other information is being collected to identify those responsible for the vandalism and assault on a neighbor,” Moore said on X, formerly Twitter.
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto also took to social media to express her concern over the incident.
“The behavior on virulent display in Brentwood on Thanksgiving Day and continuing in our city today is unacceptable,” Feldstein-Soto said on X, formerly Twitter. “Physically harming or criminally threatening another person, trespass[ing] and vandalism are not protected speech and should be prosecuted.”
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass also wrote on social media that she had spoken with Michael Tuchin and Chief Moore on Friday but later removed Tuchin’s name from the post, citing “the safety of those involved” in the investigation, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Video of the demonstration, which took place on Thursday afternoon in front of Tuchin’s home in the 11900 block of Foxboro Drive, quickly circulated across social media.
Footage posted by StopAntisemitism shows a group of Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in front of Tuchin’s house, holding smoke bombs and splattering fake blood on his driveway.
The video, which has garnered nearly two million views on X – formerly Twitter – in two days, was taken by a woman pleading with her father to avoid any physical confrontation with the protestors.
That man, who did not want to be identified, told KTLA 5’s Rachel Menitoff that he was simply looking out for his neighbor.
“As soon as I looked, I realized they were trashing my neighbor’s property and I tried to protect the property,” he said. “Unfortunately, they didn’t back up, so it got a little bit heated.”
No arrests were made as of Saturday morning.