Florida man charged with hate crime after brick thrown at Sarasota synagogue
A Sarasota resident has been charged with a hate crime for throwing a brick through a Chabad House window, saying he was incited by a video labeling Israel's prime minister a war criminal.
Sarasota Police have charged 30-year-old Brayton Laschinger with a hate-crime related to a brick thrown at the Chabad House on July 29. In a police interview, Laschinger said he was angered by social-media content, specifically a July 21 video by Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal," which he reposted on Instagram. Detectives noted the only political material on his public Instagram was that video, and surveillance footage shows him barefoot, covering his head with a blue towel, and hurling a brick at the synagogue window around 6 a.m. He fled the scene, was later identified by his roommate, and has been released on a $2,500 bond while awaiting arraignment on August 28.
Laschinger also has prior convictions for marijuana possession and DUI. The charge is criminal mischief of a religious building classified as a hate crime.
Why it matters
The case highlights how online political content can motivate hate-crime attacks on religious sites.
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