Two men were charged Monday with an alleged hate crime attack outside a Beverly Grove-area restaurant in May.
Samer Jayylusi, 36, of Whittier and Xavier Pabon, 30, of Banning were each charged with two felony counts of assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Those counts were included along with a hate crime allegation. Cell phone video of the incident showed two men exiting a car and attacking the victims while yelling anti-Jewish slurs.
The duo were alleged to be part of a caravan waving Palestinian flags out of their vehicles near the 300 block of North La Cienega Boulevard on the evening of May 18. The incident took place hours after a large protest in support of Palestine amid an escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. According to Human Rights Watch, Israel's May attacks on Gaza killed at least 260 Palestinians, while Hamas rocket attacks killed at least 12 Israelis.
Jayylusi and Pabon allegedly approached diners seated outside the Sushi Fumi restaurant on La Cienega and proceeded to attack them. The victims were targeted because of their Jewish identity, prosecutors said.
CBS Los Angeles reported in May that one of the victims had reportedly attempted to engage the alleged attackers.
“I was speaking to one guy, ‘Relax, why are they doing that,’” the individual told CBS. “Just protest peacefully.” He said he was then physically attacked for attempting to intervene—pepper sprayed by the alleged assailants and forced to seek medical treatment at a nearby hospital.
A witness told CBS participants in the caravan were throwing “glass bottles or glass cups” at the tables from their cars which “shattered everywhere.” The alleged assailants then proceeded to exit their vehicle, run toward the diners and indiscriminately ask, “Who’s Jewish?”
In all, five victims said they were physically struck in the chaos or injured by broken glass.
The Los Angeles Police Department only reported one minor injury in connection with the incident.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the attack “appeared to spring from a roving band of vehicles that were seen flying flags within the Jewish-populated areas of Hollywood, West L.A., Mid-Wilshire, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills.”
Pabon was apprehended on May 21 by LAPD officers. Jayylusi was arrested four days later. Both were subsequently released on bond.
Police are reportedly still searching for two additional individuals believed to have been involved in the restaurant attack.
"We have a substantial amount of video evidence as well as additional clues and tips coming in, as well as the fruits of the arrests of these two individuals," Moore said.
