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Riverside Ex-Con to Spend 35-40 Years Behind Bars for Hate Crime Shooting Spree
A former Riverside resident who gunned down two Jewish men as they left religious services in Los Angeles will spend the next 35 to 40 years behind bars. Jaime Tran, 29, has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Tran’s plea agreement, filed by the Justice Department, will see him face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison for each hate crime count. He will also face a maximum of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for each firearm count. However, under the plea deal, prosecutors will recommend a sentence of between 35 years and 40 years in prison.
The shocking shooting spree occurred on February 15, 2023, when Tran shot a Jewish victim wearing a yarmulke as he was leaving a synagogue in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles. The victim survived the attack. The next morning, Tran returned to the area and shot another Jewish man, also leaving him critically injured.
According to his plea agreement, Tran developed and espoused antisemitic beliefs and made violent threats toward Jewish people. In 2018, Tran left dental school after making hate-filled statements about other students whom he perceived to be Jewish. His antisemitic statements escalated in 2022, with him repeatedly calling and texting a former classmate with messages such as “I want you dead, Jew,” and “Someone is going to kill you, Jew.”
Tran’s hate-filled ideology led him to plan the murder of two innocent victims simply because they were Jewish, said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Rather than allow these horrific crimes to divide us, however, our community came together and swiftly brought the perpetrator to justice. Hate and intolerance have no place in America.”
The Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI worked tirelessly to bring Tran to justice, said Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi. “Hate crimes tear at the fabric of our communities and safety. The Los Angeles Police Department is stronger through our federal partnerships, better serving the people of Los Angeles.”
Tran’s plea deal also reveals that he was prohibited from purchasing firearms due to previous mental health holds. However, in January 2023, he asked a third party to buy two firearms for him in Phoenix. He selected the firearms he wanted and paid approximately $1,500 in cash to the third party, who then purchased them.
The shocking shooting spree was a stark reminder of the dangers of hate and intolerance, said Acting Assistant Director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, Krysti Hawkins. “I’m relieved that the hard work by investigators and prosecutors led to Tran’s admission to these abhorrent crimes, and hope that members of the Jewish community take some solace in knowing that he will not be in the position to target their fellow members.”
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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