Two men have been charged with a hate crime in connection to the antisemitic assault that took place outside of the Sushi Fumi restaurant in May.
According to a press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, the two men have been identified as Xavier Paybon, 30, and Samer Jayylusi, 36. Both are being charged with two counts of felony assault and a hate crime.
“A hate crime is a crime against all of us,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “My office is committed to doing all we can to make Los Angeles County a place where our diversity is embraced and protected.”
On May 18, members of a pro-Palestinian caravan attacked several patrons who were eating outside of Sushi Fumi, which is located in the Beverly Grove area, after throwing bottles at them and asking if they were Jewish. Three of the victims were Iranian Jewish men. Another was an Armenian-Lebanese Christian man who tried to defend the Jewish diners from being attacked.
The Armenian-Lebanese Christian man, who identified himself as “Mher,” told the Journal’s Tabby Refael, “The way those guys approached us…throwing glasses at us…if you’re in a war zone, that’s a different story. But we were having dinner. We weren’t harming them. Why were they kicking us in the head? I had to do something.”
The Los Angeles Police Department is still investigating the matter.
