Attack At Beverly Grove Restaurant Investigated As Hate Crime

LOS ANGELES, CA — Detectives are investigating an attack at a Beverly Grove restaurant Tuesday night as a hate crime, police confirmed Wednesday.

According to witnesses and police, a pro-Palestinian group shouted antisemitic slurs and attacked patrons dining outside Sushi Fumi, in the 300 block of North La Cienega Boulevard. At least one person was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries.

The attack caps a tense week including demonstrations and a series of suspected hate crimes reverberating from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza.

According to Los Angeles Police Department Officer Jeff Lee, three suspects in Tuesday's attack remain outstanding. They were last seen fleeing in a Jeep northbound on La Brea Avenue. The incident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The attack was captured on cell phone videos and posted to social media. One video showed a group of men in dark clothes get out of a car and start to attack diners while yelling racial slurs.

Warning: This video contains violent imagery.

One of the diners, who is not Jewish, told CBSLA that a caravan waving pro-Palestinian flags approached and then began throwing bottles at him and the group he was dining with. The man said he is a photographer and the group was meeting at the restaurant to plan a wedding.

The man said he was physically attacked when he tried to defend the group. He said the attackers used anti-Jewish profanity. He also said he was pepper-sprayed during the attack and had to go to a hospital.

The restaurant apparently was not damaged, police said.

Police are also investigating another incident involving a caravan of people waving Palestinian flags near Rosewood and La Brea avenues, CBSLA reported. Security video from that incident recorded Monday night appears to show an Orthodox Jewish man being chased by the Pro-Palestinian caravan. The man escaped and was not hurt.

The incidents occurred in the wake of an escalation of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. At least 200 Palestinians have been killed and several children have been wounded in Israel's bombing of Gaza, while Hamas rocket attacks have killed at least 12 Israelis.

Earlier Tuesday, a large crowd of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the Israeli consulate in West Los Angeles. The rally was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement. Over the weekend, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied in Westwood calling for an end to the violence.

The incidents drew condemnation from outside the L.A. area.

"As Palestinian protesters attack Jews seated for dinner at a Los Angeles restaurant, and another Jewish individual on foot chased by two cars driven by Palestinian protestors, the scenes of violence that unfolded are undeniable evidence of the dangerous spike in antisemitism in the United States and abroad," according to a statement provided by the Israeli-American Civic Action Network.

"We call upon our elected officials, law enforcement and community leaders to condemn these assaults and demand an end to coordinated acts of antisemitic intimidation, harassment, and violence perpetrated by these protestors," the statement said.

The organization is described on its website as "A movement of Israeli and American grassroots activists and leaders creating change for a better America, a more secure Israel, and a stronger U.S.-Israel alliance."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.