MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Arrest Made in Synagogue Vandalism
Beverly Hills, CA – The Beverly Hills Police Department has made an arrest in connection with the vandalism that took place at the Nessah Synagogue on Saturday, December 14th.
Anton Nathaniel Redding, 24, of Millersville, Pennsylvania was arrested and charged with Vandalism of a Religious Property, and Commercial Burglary (§594.3(a) and §459 of the California Penal Code). The charges filed include a penalty enhancement for a Hate Crime under §422.75(a) of the California Penal Code.
Redding was identified as a suspect on December 17th as a result of a thorough investigation, review of surveillance footage and the processing of forensic evidence. Once Redding was identified, a warrant was obtained for his arrest, and investigators along with the crime impact team shifted their focus to locating Redding.
Shortly after identifying Redding as the suspect, investigators determined that Redding was in the state of Hawaii. Detectives traveled to Hawaii to locate Redding. Working collectively with the local Hawaiian authorities, Redding was located in Kona and taken into custody.
Redding is currently being held in custody, without bail, where he will remain until an extradition hearing is held to authorize his transfer to the state of California. Once the extradition is approved, Redding will be transferred from Hawaii to California and will ultimately appear at the Airport Courthouse in Los Angeles.
Beverly Hills Police personnel, in cooperation with federal and local law enforcement agencies, have been working tirelessly on this investigation and vetted through many leads before ultimately identifying Redding as the suspect. Earlier in the investigation, the department evaluated what appeared to be a promising lead related to a subject who was detained by our department the evening of December 14th; however, that subject was excluded as a suspect based on forensic evidence and was ultimately released from detention.
BHPD would like to thank our partner law enforcement agencies, in particular the Los Angeles Police Department, the United States Secret Service, the Joint Regional Intelligence Center, the Hawaii Police Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. We also extend our thanks to community organizations, to include the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Nessah Synagogue family, and other community members who have offered great assistance and support during this investigation and most difficult time for the City and the Nessah community.
"I said we would catch this guy and we did,” said Mayor John Mirisch. "The criminal who we believe desecrated a holy place on Shabbat is now in custody thanks to the superb work of the Beverly Hills Police Department. The Beverly Hills community is strong and will not be intimidated by despicable acts. Our thoughts remain with the Nessah community as they work to move forward from this terrible crime.”
“I am so pleased that the collective efforts and relentless police work on this case has resulted in the apprehension of the suspect and a criminal filing,” said Beverly Hills Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli. “I’d like to thank our staff, partner law enforcement agencies, and community organizations for their expeditious work and support during this difficult time.”
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