May 26, 2026: Man Charged With Felony Hate Crime for Attack Outside Pico-Robertson Synagogue

LOS ANGELES - A 21-year-old man has been charged with a felony hate crime for attacking a Jewish resident of West Los Angeles as he walked home from a synagogue last month.

"Attacking someone because of their faith is not just a crime against one person, it's an assault on our community," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. "When individuals commit crimes motivated by prejudice or intolerance, they must answer for the harm they've caused. Every person has a fundamental civil right to worship freely without being harassed, attacked or threatened. I want every resident in Los Angeles County to know that my office will aggressively prosecute hate crimes against our communities."

Semaj De Leone James (dob 8/17/04) of South Los Angeles was charged in case 26ARCF00927 with one felony count of violation of civil rights by force.

On April 27, 2026, at approximately 9:50 p.m., James allegedly attacked the victim who was walking home from synagogue. As the victim walked through a nearby alley, James allegedly followed the victim in a van, jumped out and suddenly attacked the victim without provocation.

West Los Angeles Police detectives, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, later identified the defendant.

The case was filed for warrant on May 11.

On May 19, Los Angeles Police Department detectives conducted a surveillance operation and arrested the defendant in South Los Angeles.

James was arraigned on May 20 and pleaded not guilty. The Court released him on his own recognizance over the prosecution's objection. He was ordered to stay away from the location of the crime.

In releasing the defendant OR over the People's objection, the Court indicated it felt bound to release the defendant due to a recent California Supreme Court decision from April 2026, in re Kowalczyk.

His preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for June 4 in Department 31 of the Airport Courthouse.

If convicted as currently charged, he faces up to three years in county jail.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Daniel Linehan of the Airport Branch Office and remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

The charges in these cases are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.