Executive Director of Valley Torah Robbed at Gunpoint in Hancock Park

Lev Stark is known in the community for putting out funny videos on TikTok. But on February 6, he took to the platform to post about something traumatic that had happened to him: Just a few days earlier, he was robbed at gunpoint steps away from his home in Hancock Park.

On the night of February 1, Stark, who is executive director of Valley Torah High School, parked his car and was walking towards his home. Suddenly, a car pulled up, a man in a hoodie and face mask jumped out and he demanded that Stark hand over his phone and wallet. Stark stayed calm and pointed out to the robber that he could track his phone, even if it was stolen. But the man demanded it anyway. Stark gave the robber want he wanted, and the robber fled in his car.

“I tried to look at his license plate, but he had a dealer advertisement plate,” Stark said. “I went home, told my wife what happened and called 9-1-1.”

The police were taking some time to arrive, so Stark borrowed his son’s phone to track his own. He could see his phone was in the man’s car, and the man was still in the neighborhood. Stark’s wife suggested he call Magen Am, a Jewish security organization. A guard from Magen Am showed up within 60 seconds.

“The guy from Magen Am takes my son’s phone and says he’s going to try to find the robber,” said Stark. “He ultimately found the car in an area where it stopped pinging. He noticed people in the car, and when they saw him, they took off. He probably scared them off because he looked like a cop.”

Soon after, Stark lost track of his phone, and the police got in touch with him. “They told me that [robberies] were a big problem in the neighborhood, and they were getting very frustrated by it,” he said. “They took it very seriously.”

The next morning, Stark, who has 25,000 views on his video detailing the incident – as well as 8.5 million likes on his TikTok page – was davening at Valley Torah for Rosh Chodesh. He had borrowed his son’s phone for the day and saw that it had been pinging for several hours. He hopped in his car and drove from the Valley to a house near Crenshaw.

“I saw there was a car in the driveway, and it was the car [from the previous night],” he said. “I called the police and said I wasn’t going to approach [the robber].”

While the suspect evaded the police at first, they eventually caught him and got a search warrant to look inside his home. They found a personal check that belonged to Stark as well as his deactivated Valley Torah access card. Inside the house, there were other people’s belongings. The suspect was arrested, but now, he’s out on bail.

“It’s horrible that we’ve come to this place where people feel empowered and emboldened to do things like this because we have a prosecutor who is allowing it.” – Lev Stark

“It’s horrible that we’ve come to this place where people feel empowered and emboldened to do things like this because we have a prosecutor who is allowing it,” said Stark. “I can’t comprehend taking someone else’s things because I want them. That’s a breakdown in the moral fabric of society.”

An LA native, Stark said this is the worst his hometown has ever been. “I want my 15-year-old son to be able to walk our dog at night. I’m scared to let him do that. That’s not OK.”

Stark urged others not to be distracted when walking in the street, especially at night. He said he saw similar situations like his being talked about on Nextdoor as well. “That always happened to other people, not me,” he said. “Then, I’m standing there, looking at a guy pointing a gun at me.”

If there’s one thing he can take away from the robbery, it’s this: “Nothing I have in my life is worth dying over,” he said. “If you want my wallet, take it. It’s not worth fighting for it. I realized there is no physical possession that’s worth it.”