Pair charged with hate crime in attack on diners outside Beverly Grove sushi restaurant

BEVERLY GROVE, Calif. - Two men were charged Tuesday in connection with an anti-Semitic attack on diners outside a sushi restaurant in Beverly Grove earlier this year. The violent incident was caught on camera.

Xavier Pabon, 30, and Samer Jayylusi, 36, were each charged with two felony counts of assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury. The criminal complaint also includes a hate crime allegation.

On May 18, the two defendants were allegedly part of a caravan who were driving in the 300 block of N. La Cienega Boulevard. Pabon and Jayylusi are accused of approaching two men outside of a restaurant and attacking them because of their religion.

Witnesses who sent FOX 11 video of the attack said it was a peaceful night until a group of people, possibly pro-Palestinian supporters, drove past the restaurant in a caravan multiple times and yelled anti-Semitic slurs. The heavily populated area has a large Jewish population, officials said.

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"A hate crime is a crime against all of us," District Attorney George Gascón said. "My office is committed to doing all we can to make Los Angeles County a place where our diversity is embraced and protected."

The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

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