Anti-Semitic graffiti sprayed onto LGBTQ-friendly shop in West Hollywood

A man was seen on video footage spray-painting what appeared to be anti-Semitic graffiti onto an LGBTQ-friendly boutique in West Hollywood — the second act of anti-Semitic vandalism in the neighborhood this week, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

On Tuesday morning, an employee of Block Party WeHo on Santa Monica Boulevard reported that someone had painted a five-point star that resembled the six-point Star of David, as well as the letters GD and LK, onto the store’s window, authorities said. It was unclear what the letters referenced.

Deputies obtained security footage from a nearby business that showed a man painting the images sometime between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The incident is being investigated as a potential hate crime.

“Anyone who has information on these incidents, or recognizes the suspect, please call West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station at (310) 855-8850,” the department said in a news release.

It was the second report of anti-Semitic graffiti in West Hollywood this week. On Sunday, the Bayou WeHo, a New Orleans-themed restaurant and bar, opened Sunday to find graffiti on its door that read “Hitler was right” and a similar five-point star, authorities said.

The incidents follow a rash of anti-Semitic acts across the U.S.

On Dec. 10, two shooters killed three people at a Jewish grocery store in Jersey City, N.J. A few days later, a lone man forced his way into the Nessah Synagogue in Beverly Hills and ransacked it, shredding prayer books and overturning chairs, investigators said. And on Saturday, a man rushed into a rabbi’s home in Monsey, N.Y., during a Hanukkah celebration, hacking at people with a machete. Five people were injured.

Hate crimes in Los Angeles County have reached their highest point in nearly a decade, according to an annual report by the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations. Religious crimes overall declined slightly, but anti-Jewish crimes rose 14% and made up 83% of religion-motivated crimes.

City News Service contributed to this report.