Man Who Menaced North Hollywood Synagogue with Machete Arrested
Los Angeles CA December 19 2018
A man who was taking selfies while holding a machete and making menacing gestures in front of a North Hollywood Chabad synagogue on Friday was arrested later that night, according to local media reports.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Inmate Information Center indicates that 49-year-old David Brener was arrested late Friday evening, and released Saturday afternoon on a $10,000 bond.
Brener’s apparent Facebook page indicates that he is originally from Odessa, Ukraine, and features numerous anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian posts.
This video posted in October appears to show Brener, and presents him as an independent candidate for the California 30th District congressional seat in 2020.
The case was handled by the LAPD Major Crimes Division.
An image of a masked man with a machete scared many people at a local synagogue but Saturday night an arrest was made.
A frightening picture taken outside the Chabad of North Hollywood appears to show a man with his face covered in a scarf, holding a machete in a threatening manner toward the Chabad.
“Obviously the image is very disturbing,” said Rabbi Nachman Abend. “A man with a sword standing in front of a synagogue with his face wrapped the way it was is very concerning.”
The incident happened Friday afternoon. Rabbi Abend says a member of the community took the picture and sent it to them. They called police immediately, fearing for the safety of their congregation.
“We do not believe there’s any relation to anybody here. We really do not know who he is. It sounds like he wants to protest something but we’re not sure what he’s trying to protest,” said Rabbi Abend.
A member of the Jewish community captured pictures of the incident outside the Saara Ratner-Stauber Synagogue.
LAPD was able to track down Brener from surveillance video taken by the synagogue’s cameras.
Brener is scheduled for a January 9 court date, according to the sheriff’s department.
This incident occurred just three weeks after a Somali Muslim immigrant attempted to run down worshipers outside a Hancock Park synagogue.
Mohamed Abdi Mohamed of Seattle was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon in that case.
