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A 74-year-old rabbi was assaulted Monday as he walked to morning prayers in the Fairfax area of L.A., CBS Los Angeles reports. Security footage shows the rabbi, whose name was withheld, being repeatedly punched and falling to the ground. The rabbi was not hospitalized after the attack and did not sustain any significant injuries, Katherine Mayer, a detective in the LAPD's Major Assault Crimes Division, told LAist. The suspect is still at large.
When asked if there were any signs that the attack was motivated by hate, Mayer said that, "There was no indication that the attack constituted a hate crime," explaining that the assailant—a male transient suffering from apparent mental health issues—did not make any anti-Semitic statements before or during the attack.
Fox L.A. reports that, the morning following the attack, the rabbi was back to walking his usual route to temple, something he says he's been doing for the last 20 years.
"We have people out looking for [the assailant]," Mayer said, noting that a crime alert will soon go out to the community and encouraging anyone with information on the attack to call LAPD authorities at (877) LAPD-247.
