A suspicious individual was shot at a Chabad girls high school in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon.
Police and paramedics responded to the Ohel Chana High School, located inside Etz Jacob Congregation on the 7600 block of Beverly Boulevard, at 12:24PM.
In an email to parents, the school said it’s security guard observed the man “canvassing” the outside of the school.
Video (see below) shows the victim was filming the school property just moments before he was shot, something which he is legally allowed to do.
The first few seconds of the video show the shooter being taken into custody. Sources tell YWN that the security guard is also a member of Los Angeles Shmira.
The victim uploaded almost an hour of video to YouTube (it has since been removed). He is seen observing Frum girls on the street while wondering aloud if it’s a “Jewish tradition” that they are dressed a certain way. He circles the school building while filming and making comments. He is confronted by a security guard, who repeatedly asks him to stay away from the building.
The victim then approached a security guard standing behind a fence. The guard drew a firearm and pointed it low, holding it steady for several minutes. He then appeared to lower the gun for a moment, but quickly raised it back up. At that moment, the gun appears to go off in his hand. It’s not clear from the video whether the shooting was intentional. It is also not clear whether the victim was struck by the bullet, shrapnel or anything else.
The victim began shouting “(Expletive) shot me. (Expletive) shot me in the leg!”
Later in the video, the security guard can be heard saying he fired a “warning shot” and it was aimed “at the ground”.
Authorities initially identified the victim as a man in his 30s. However, in videos posted to YouTube the individual identifies as transgender, and says he “prefers to be identified as female”.
The circumstances of the shooting were under investigation.
The victim does not appear to have been shot too badly, as the video below – taken for YWN around two hours later – shows him back at the scene talking to police.
The following is a letter the school sent parents immediately after the incident:
Dear OCHS Parents,
We want to inform you about an incident that took place at the school this afternoon.
An individual was canvassing the outside of the school building. When he was confronted by our school security guard. After becoming belligerent, the security guard did shoot him in the leg (he is not critically injured).
We are happy to inform you that absolutely no students were hurt or in danger at any time during this period.
As a precautionary measure, the school building was put on lockdown and will continue to be on lockdown until further notice that all has been cleared by the police.
The students are currently being given extra time to relax before going into class. We davened an early mincha and will keep posted.
Thank you for your understanding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcDCdF7H1mo
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45 Responses
BH (Baruch Hashem not to be confused with Beverly Hills, like this article confuses the location. Beverly Blvd. does not make a location be in Beverly Hills)everyone is ok. BH this school took the initiative that unfortunately a lot of schools don’t and hired a guard. Kudos to the security guard for his life saving actions.
I believe many students were saved by the armed guard We must defend our yeshivas and Shuls with maximum protection Amazing that some liberal cities are not offering Yeshiva Students minimal protection Baruch HaShem a tragedy was averted in Los Angeles Beverly Fairfax area.
It’s really outrageous the way this report is titled, I’m certain 99% of people get the impression that shots were fired at the shul r’l. Please report and don’t sensationalise.
Look at the video take by the journalist who was shot.
(VIDEO LINK REMOVED DUE TO EXPLETIVES)
You can see that the crazy security guard is not mentally stable and threatend to kill the journalist on the sidewalk if she moved.
It is not acceptable to have a mentally instable guard protecting the school. Look at the video and ask yourself: Is this the person I want to protect my children.
It is sad that a school needs a armed security guard to keep the children safe. I wish that all are safe and protected, but you cannot just shoot people on the side walk behind the gate.
You cannot intentionally give a warning shot to the leg. This is insane.
Watch the movie, this is a first amendment editor/journalist who is a veteran who helped to keep her country safe.
God bless her.
Maybe was mistake.maybe he wasnt THAT threatening but hey its a good lesson for the bad guys! This place(and others) has security dont mess with us!
People are allowed to film on a public sidewalk without being shot.
Unfortunately, when the facts of today’s shooting come out, it will not look good for all the parties involved. It appears there was a lack of good judgement on the part of the individual photographing the building but also a failure to follow established protocols by the security officer. I expect we will hear more of the details tomorrow when the police will provide their incident report.
Why in the world didn’t he call the police when he saw the guy filming. I would have been spared of watching 37 minutes of boring video.
What is the difference between “canvassing” and “standing on the sidewalk with a camera?” That is biased language intended to shield OCHS from massive liability. This is Beverly Hills. If you shot everyone on the sidewalk who has a camera you wouldn’t have time to do anything else. The victim has a right to stand on the sidewalk all day long and film anything she pleases. The security guard is 100% in the wrong. Shame on those who defend shooting an innocent person on a public sidewalk from behind a fence.
I’m not sure if anyone has picked up the fact that the commentator FURRY POTATO above was acutally the stalker/photographer who got shot…. Furry Potato…you are an idiot! In this day and age of terrorism, with the threat of domestic and international terrorists looming espcially after Philadlephia massacre, you are obviously provoking the tiger by filiming a jewish giirls school, and you wander why you got hurt. At best, and a creepy best, you are a paedophile and worst stalking the building for a more nefarious and sinister purpose. I see this is not the first time you have done this creepy anti-social behavior. A google serach shows us that. You are lucky you did not get of worse. Do us all a favor and get a real job and stop terrosizing school girls.
Security guard was inside a fence, safe a secure, victim was on the public sidewalk filming.
Guard says he fired a warning shot.
For filming not saying anything.
Person was wounded in the leg, taken to hospital.
Person reports that the guard was arrested.
Charge is not known at this time.
not Philadphia but Pittsburgh! sorry
Are you guys crazy?! The victim of the shooting is a transgender WOMAN, not a man, and was filming from a public sidewalk. How could any of you crazy people suggest that the shooting was warranted?
Both “furry”the transgender vlogger and the gaurd are nuts. HE(furry) was canvassing the school in a way perceived to be a threat to the girls insire. The guard was nuts for not requesting backup from the LAPD. Howlong can you manage this suspect on your own? Get help to back you up!
Totaly obvious that the gun was fired accidentaly, but there was no excuse to unholster it at any point.
You see how a lack of good judgement under stress, combined with substandard training, led to this disaster.
Point of interest-those stain glass windows he was admiring were the victim of vandalism, along with a number of other local shuls, in a 1987 attack. The rumor back then was that a disgruntelled Jewish transient was responsible.
Shot him for no reason.
Looks like it’s going to be serious criminal charges for the “guard” and a serious financial price for the school.
WHAT were they THINKING when they allowed him to legally act on their behalf?
This is the danger of having armed security guards. The guard should have called the police. The suspect was unarmed. He was not an active threat to anyone’s life or property.
The suspect was suspicious, yes. The security guard should have called the police and put the school on lockdown until they arrived.
Why is it important to note the nitty gritty of whether they identify as זכר או נקבה.
Let’s say they identify as a nutty cone??!!
We have enough Shmutz from the secular media רח״ל.
First of all, lets tell the truth. This person was Not being beligerant, Not canvassing the property, and not threatening the security guard in any way. The guard acually Endangered lived by brandishing and discharging a weapon in public, specifically on a street sidewalk. That is against the law, filming is not. Watch the video of what really happened and dont spread lies.
There’s something wrong with this story. The security guard, not the person that was shot, was taken into custody. There is no evidence that anyone at the school was in danger from the person that was shot or even that he was carrying a weapon. Really this sort of incident is best left unreported.
Guard charged with assault with a deadly weapon and jailed.
Furry (the journalist) is well known in the YouTube community for standing up for our Constitutional rights. Not once that I know of has Furry broken the law. IF YOU WATCH THE VIDEO you will see that the guard was acting in a very erratic manner. He was pacing and rocking back and forth on his feet. He threatened the journalist and called the journalist a terrorist. He was WAY out of line and broke the law. He is a huge danger and should not be ANYWHERE in the vicinity of children. I pray he is never able to hold any type of job with a gun again. I have always supported the Jewish community and believe they as well as Christians are targeted and persecuted. However, this was NOT a case of being persecuted. This was a free person filming the building on the public sidewalk. The video shows that the journalist at no time attempted to gain entry of the building and DID NOT become belligerent until AFTER being shot.
Shame on Yeshiva World for their libelist article. You may wish to print a retraction and apology. And get the story straight!
Fyrd Up MamaBear
Thank god it wasnt a black…..
The security guard should not have shot. Shld have called police IMMEDIATELY. HE(videographer) is a stupid GUY!!!
Assault with a deadly weapon and illegal discharge of a firearm.
Charges confirmed.
How can anyone defend the guard.. the video so long and boring shows that there was plenty of time to call LAPD.
The guy filming was definitely suspicious , wasn’t just filming but was going about it in a very detailed way and warranted a call to LAPD just to stand there until the legal threat ( filming ) is over.
This guard comes to work every day and today It seems he felt threatened and acted out of fear.
If I was looking out the window and someone was filming my home or Shul like that I would definitely call the police
From what I heard, 911 was called multiple times. Forget the rest for a moment, how did we all watch 45 minutes of footage, waiting for them to arrive? Did they not care about the school until someone got shot?
If you watch the full video taken after HE was shot, you see that it took over 8 LONG minutes for the first LAPD unit to arrive(after the shot was discharged), and another six minutes after that until the first LAFD units arrive. All this to a report of shots fired outside of a jewish school. Way too long for this type of situation.
Every effort should be made to protect life. This is Chilul HaShem that a Armed Guard, a Jewish one at that, should draw their gun and shoot an unarmed person. Public Photography especially here in Los Angeles is not only a common sight but is also protected not only under the U.S. Constitution but the California Constitution. This can only lead to others stepping forward with cameras to record shuls, yeshivas and kollels in response to this shooting. Hopefully the rest of the community in Pico-robertson and Fairfax will properly train their security guards to not over react to photographers. The guard should have simply taken their picture and went inside the building and reported it to the local police. His gun should never have left his holster. G-d willing this photographer will fully recover and the security guard will have learned his lesson and the Court will show some mercy while at the same time upholding the law.
It’s so sad that it ended this way but better safe than sorry! With all the terrorism around I 100% agree with the guard! If things would have turned out differently he would have been the hero!! It’s not easy to protect a school and he used his judgement ! Easy for all of you to comment when you weren’t there ! The I don’t know what to call the photographer?? It maybe ? It should stay away from Jewish schools ! Go pick yourself other subjects for your filming !
I will daven for the guard to be released soon and charges dropped. I also hope the intruder is forced to undergo psychiatric treatment he so manifestly needs.
🕎 let’s protect our schools with Israeli security personal
This “guard” demonstrated terrible decision making and willful ignorance of gun safety rules and a total lack of any security knowledge, and he will pay dearly for it, as will the school.
If this youtuber was a threat, then the “guard” did every single thing wrong beginning to end. And if the person wasn’t an actual threat, then you tell me, but it clearly looks like he shot by mistake.
This person has no place near our children armed or otherwise. He IS the threat.
The YouTuber should get a plaque in the school for exposing this “guard” and for the changes that are sure to come that will ACTUALLY protect the kids from threats.
The “guard” will at best lose his license and gun rights, and will probably get jail time. There is ero doubt that the guard and school will be sued and will lose easily.
What an embarrassment to whoever didn’t take the time to qualify this Yahoo.
I can’t understand…if he (she) was legit, why wasn’t an ID presented to the security guard? The video he took looked very suspicious…he took videos of the security cameras, windows, the alley way, why? If people were viewing the security cameras, these actions looked suspicious. In this day and age we’re always saying “if you see something, say something”. The guard was hired to protect the bldg. and those inside. Again, tell the security guard who you are with ID and what you’re about to do….then there wouldn’t have been an issue!
The guard’s actions are against the law in the State of California. First off, let me state one’s role as a Security Guard: TO OBSERVE AND REPORT. As an armed guard in California, you MAY NOT take your firearm out of your holster unless your life or the life of your clients (or others on your client’s property) are in immediate threat of death or great bodily harm and there are no other options. Although it may not be smart during the current situation in this country and around the world (increased attacks against Jews and shuls), it is NOT illegal to be videotaping or photographing a building from a public sidewalk. From the videos I saw, at NO TIME was the shooting victim on the shul’s property…a sidewalk in front of a building is PUBLIC PROPERTY. Now, turning to the Legal side of things: At NO TIME was the guard’s or anybody on the shul’s property in immediate threat of loss of life or great bodily harm. The guard was in violation of the Law, which will be charged as Felonies 1. California Penal Code 417: “Brandishing a Weapon or Firearm” (removing the firearm from the holster.) 2. The guard is in violation of California Penal Code 245a: Assault With A Deadly Weapon,” 3. California Penal Code 422: “Criminal Threats” The guard threatened to kill the shooting victim at least two times. All three counts are Felonies. These are simply the facts of the situation. The guard’s actions were terrible and TOTALY out of line. I worked in Law Enforcement and am a Yid here in the Los Angeles Community. It’s wonderful that Congregation Etz Jacob and Ohel Chana hired an armed guard company…hopefully this will be a wakeup call to who we hire in the future!
Oh goodness. I’m still trying to figure out why the rent a cop shot this person. What I noticed, from the guards behavior, he was antsy and pacing. I hope it is SOP to have the shooter drug tested, it could be a case of too much caffeine or not enough meth.
I don’t understand the posters claiming that the photographer did nothing illegal. Bystanders from businesses nearby who were interviewed made it clear that the photographer was spending considerable time filming underage females at the school, and some even described it as “creepy”. Such filming sounds to me like “stalking” or “harassment” (which in most places includes not stopping when asked to stop filming private citizens), and stalking and harassment are certainly a crime.
It is also stated on some sites that the filming was 360 degrees – all around the building – which sounds real difficult to do from the ground without stepping on some private property.
There’s no need to even say “I agree”. I’d support charges just for clearing leather. The actual shot is simply whipped cream to a prosecutor.
anyone got the same gut instinct as me (doesnt take a rocket scientist) thats there’s actually a large amount of “brand new names” commenting not our usual folks. hmm. just saying… and those who have no clue about the orthodox community e.g. bobsmith giving us halachniks mussar for DUH it was a WOMAN not a MAN obviously not part of the yeshivaworld base who “gets it”. anyway lots and lots of comments about how outrageous this was but no one saying how totally CREEPY it is standing recording teenage girls for an hour SERIOUSLY? and trust me in LA, i was recently mugged and violently assualted and it took TWENTY MINUTES for the cops to show. last but not least i heard the gun pointed to the ground and the bullet richoched to the leg (obviously lightly enough that the guy stayed in his feet videoing more). i legit want armed guards now outside my school and my shul
There was a recent comment that “Brand New Names” are commenting on this situation, implying that readers should take these peoples’ comments with a grain of salt. My family has been part of the Los Angeles Orthodox Community since 1957, my great grandfather a Satmer Rov from Philadelphia, PA for years before that as well. I have lived in Boro Park for a number of years and then moved back to Los Angeles about 20 years ago. I completely understand the orthodox community in Los Angeles. I have donated money to the Chasidishe Kollel, Bais Yehuda, Etz Chaim, and to Jewish organizations such as Hatzolah, Bikur Cholim, etc. year after year. What a Chillul Hashem it is for one Yid to judge another, especially if one doesn’t know the other! As I stated in my original post, I worked in Law Enforcement for years here in Los Angeles and I was just stating the laws that the security guard broke. I support private armed security at each and every shul in Los Angeles, from the Chasidishe Kollel, Etz Chaim, and across town to Pico-Robertson. I don’t support non-law abiding guards who are overly aggressive and fire a warning shot.
Im geshmache are you accusing me of making a chilul Hshem and judging others? Plz apologize. I didnt judge u and stay far away from Chilul hashem . Itr s wonderful what u do for our community and I never said anything about u
Im geshmache are you accusing me of making a chilul Hshem and judging others? Plz apologize. I didnt judge u and stay far away from Chilul hashem . Itr s wonderful what u do for our community and I never said anything about u. I have no problem with u posting the laws. Plz re read my post. If u feel in any way there is any chilul hashem or judgement of other definite readers that are Jews let me know. If not, plz apologize
As an addition I did not see all videos and am not saying what the guard did was right. I am saying what the person filming was doing was totally creepy and looking for problems. If I offended any genuine posters I apologize. I honestly thought there were some fake posters
If that is wrong I take it back
That’s not a fake name, I’m a Jew and I’m angry. The response from the synagogue is disgraceful. How dare you try to make excuses for attempted murder. No one deserves to get murdered. Too harsh? The guard on the film said he would kill her, and for what?
He was stalking her. She is lawfully not prohibited from filming from the sidewalk. The response has been shameful.
LAmother: I do apologize I thought you were judging me as an outsider. I never comment here or on any online newspaper. I misread your comments…English is not my first language, Yiddish is. I wish you much hatzlacha in everything that you do.
Thanks ImGeshmake,i realise my original post was sarcastic and harsh. goshyou even gave me a bracha! hatlzlacha yourself.
Oneangryjew i realize my mistake was i didn’t put aside much time to see the videos and therefore did not see or hear murder being threatened.