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A person approached a West Hills residence Saturday evening and appeared to set a displayed U.S. flag on hearth, sparking a small blaze and suspicion that the suspect was motivated by hate.
The incident was caught on a house surveillance system. Officers are investigating it as a attainable hate crime and arson, in response to Los Angeles Police Officer Drake Madison. Madison stated it wasn’t clear what prompted the hate crime investigation, however famous that the report talked about the American flag and Jewish symbols exterior the house.
The case was nonetheless below investigation as of Monday morning, with none suspects recognized or arrested, Madison stated.
“I’m scared, I’m actually scared,” stated Hadas, a mom of 4, who lives within the residence. She requested that her full identify not be revealed out of concern for her security and that of her household.
She stated a portion of her storage and roof had been broken within the small hearth earlier than somebody driving by stopped on the sight of the flames and put out the fireplace with a hose.
Hadas stated nobody in her household was residence on the time of the fireplace and nobody was injured.
“Thank God for that,” Hadas stated.
She stated she was headed residence along with her kids Saturday night when she obtained a notification from their surveillance system that somebody was of their entrance yard.
She couldn’t instantly see anybody within the surveillance digital camera’s shot, however observed what gave the impression to be flames within the entrance yard. She referred to as 911 and had her daughter name a neighbor.
Earlier than firefighters or her neighbor arrived, the passerby had responded to the flames, she stated. Later, law enforcement officials got here by.
The hearth began about 8 p.m. Saturday, Madison stated.
Hadas doesn’t know why somebody would set the flag on hearth, however stated she worries it could must do with their Jewish religion, noting her household has a big mezuza — an enclosed scroll with Hebrew scripture that many Jews place on doorposts — exterior their entrance door.
Antisemitic incidents had been already on the rise within the U.S. earlier than the Israel-Hamas warfare broke out earlier this month — which has since prompted fears about elevated violence in opposition to each Jewish and Palestinian folks. Officers say it’s nonetheless too quickly to say for sure if anti-Jewish or anti-Muslim crimes have elevated because the warfare started.
Hadas additionally famous that their home was the one one within the neighborhood displaying a U.S. flag — one thing her neighbors at the moment are decided to alter.
“All of the neighbors ordered one,” Hadas stated. “All of us are going to place [out] an American flag.”
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