Jaime Tran, who is charged with two counts of hate crime for allegedly shooting and wounding two men outside Los Angeles synagogues, was ordered jailed without bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Margo A. Rocconi.
His arraignment is scheduled for March 9 at the Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles.
A criminal complaint was filed against Jaime Tran in the shooting of two men leaving Jewish synagogues in West Los Angeles on Feb. 15 and 16.
Tran, 28, was taken into custody Feb. 16 in Cathedral City.
Tran faces federal hate crime charges for the shootings which have been described as him having “animus” against the Jewish community.
The complaint alleges that Tran targeted the two victims because they were Jewish or he believed them to be Jewish. Because the complaint contains allegations that Tran attempted to murder the two victims, the maximum possible penalty for each of the two hate crimes is life without parole in federal prison.
“Over the past two days, our community experienced two horrific acts we believe were motivated by antisemitic ideology that caused him to target the Jewish community,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “It is important, especially in one of the most diverse areas in the world, that we celebrate our differences and stand together to oppose acts of hate.”
Tran appeared in Los Angeles federal court Friday afternoon and was ordered to remain jailed without bail. Magistrate Judge Margo A. Rocconi scheduled his arraignment for March 9.
The defendant was “motived by antisemitism,” Estrada said at a news conference in downtown Los Angeles. “Hate crimes have no place in our community.”
The affidavit describes Tran doing computer searches for “Kosher” markets and targeting his victims by their headgear.
When Tran was discovered by authorities he was in possession of an “AK” style weapon and 38 caliber handgun.
Tran admitted to authorities he was the shooter in both incidents.
Tran has a history of texting former classmates throughout 2022 with anti-semitic messages and blaming COVID-19 related revenue losses on “Iranian Jews”.
USA-v-Tran-COMPLAINT