The police department of Beverly Hills, California announced that they’ve arrested a man suspected of vandalizing a prominent local menorah and defacing it with Nazi symbols.
Authorities have been investigating the incident since Sunday — the first night of Hanukkah — after receiving reports of a man who threw rocks at the menorah while carving the SS symbol into the base. The incident was caught on surveillance cameras and the Beverly Hills Police Department announced that 47-year-old Eric Brian King of Dallas, Texas was taken into custody on charges of hate crimes and felony vandalism.
Mayor Lili Bosse celebrated the suspect’s quick arrest in a press statement, and she attended a ceremony for the second night of the Festival of Lights.
The Menorah defacement comes amid public concerns about recent anti-semitic incidents around the country.
Los Angeles recorded a 13 percent jump in hate crimes in 2022, over last year’s record-setting statistics. The LAPD’s commissioner blamed social media and media figures like Kanye West for increasing anti-semitic hate with their anti-semitic controversies in the last 2 months.
Watch above via Fox 11.