A suspect faces hate-crime charges in connection with a stabbing spree targeting the LGBTQ community that occurred over the holidays in the Los Angeles area.
Joshua Ebow, 30, could spend up to 14 years in prison on multiple felony counts stemming from attacks that spanned a period of eight days beginning on Christmas.
KTLA-TV reports: The first incident was reported on Dec. 25, 2019, when Ebow attacked a man and brandished a knife at a pizza restaurant in Inglewood, authorities said. About four days later, Ebow pulled out a knife and stabbed another man at a Five Guys restaurant at Culver City Mall, according to the Culver City Police Department. Witnesses told responding officers that a victim had been stabbed in the hand. On Jan. 1, the suspect allegedly assaulted a man with a knife in the West Los Angeles area, the DA’s office said. The next day, Ebow stabbed another person in the arm while the victim was walking into the JCPenney store at Culver City Mall, police said.
Ebow, whose occupation is listed as “former delivery driver,” reportedly confessed to both Culver City stabbings. He is being held on $250,000 bond.
UPDATE via the Los Angeles Times: Three of the incidents have been formally charged as hate-crime enhancements, according to the complaint. [Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard] Ceballos said evidence in the attacks points to the victims’ sexual orientation as a motive. He declined to provide more details. … The rash of attacks on LGBTQ men comes as hate crimes in L.A. County are at their highest rate in nearly a decade. Last year, a total of 322 hate crimes were reported in the city of L.A., a 10.3% increase over the previous year, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
