A Texas man was arrested Sunday night after being caught on video throwing objects at a large Menorah in Beverly Hills and allegedly carving Nazi symbols on it.
The incident was reported around 8 p.m. Sunday, the first night of Hanukkah, on private property in the area of Sunset Boulevard and Foothill Road, the Beverly Hills Police Department said in a news release.
Surveillance video posted by Street People of Beverly Hills shows a man wearing a sweater, cap and backpack throwing items from a bag at the installment. More footage shows the Nazi symbols etched on the base of the Menorah, and a light that had been at the foot of it shattered nearby.
Eric Brian King, 47, of Dallas, was arrested after an investigation.
He was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism and a hate crime. He is being held on $20,000 bail, arrest records show.
The investigation is ongoing more charges could be possible, police said.
Lt. Todd Withers said detectives will be working to determine what brought the suspect to the Los Angeles area.
The Newman family has been proudly displaying their 10-foot Menorah for five years.
Despite an estimated $5,000 damages to the installment, they won’t let the crime stop them from displaying it.
“It just made me realize that we have to be more proud to be Jewish, we can’t let someone try to destroy our light,” Nicole Newman said.
“A despicable act such as this will never be tolerated in our City,” Beverly Hills Police Chief Stainbrook said in the news release.
Hate crimes are on the rise in Los Angeles city and county.
The number of reported hate crimes across the county has reached the highest total seen in 19 years, according to a report by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations.