A 28-year-old Israeli-American man, Roy Gross, was seriously injured in what authorities are investigating as a hate crime after a confrontation in Laguna Beach, California, escalated into violence.

The incident occurred when Gross and three friends were leaving a night out and encountered two men who identified themselves as Palestinian-Iranian. According to a police report cited by Hebrew News, the groups engaged in a heated argument. Witnesses reported that the men hurled anti-Israel slurs and obstructed Gross and his friends from getting into a taxi.

The situation turned violent when one of the men allegedly got into his car and drove toward the group, striking Gross and leaving him with a compound fracture in his leg. Gross, who moved to the U.S. in 2014 after serving in the IDF, described the attack as a deliberate act of malice.

“We tried to calm the conflict and avoid the confrontation, but the suspect acted maliciously and with intent to harm,” Gross told Hebrew News from his hospital bed. “This is the first time I have encountered such violence.”

Police quickly apprehended the driver, who is now under investigation for a hate crime.

Gross, an entrepreneur and music producer, maintained a positive demeanor despite the traumatic ordeal. A photo from the scene shows him flashing a “hang loose” sign while being loaded into an ambulance by emergency responders.

He has already undergone one surgery on his injured leg and is expected to need at least one more.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)