Larry Montes Arraigned on 3 Hate Crime Counts After Manhattan Synagogue Attack

Q: What led police to file hate-crime charges after a man disrupted Shabbat services and assaulted two people at Central Synagogue?

Police filed hate-crime charges because the attack targeted a Jewish house of worship during Shabbat services and involved assaults and property damage inside the synagogue. According to the updated reporting, the suspect was identified as 46-year-old Larry Montes of the Bronx. Investigators said he disrupted services at Central Synagogue, knocked over candlesticks and damaged synagogue property, then attacked two people as security tried to remove him. He allegedly punched a 63-year-old woman in the face and spat at and head-butted a 65-year-old security guard. Those facts led police to charge him with two counts of assault as a hate crime and criminal mischief as a hate crime, along with other offenses. Authorities have not publicly detailed a full motive, and police said the motive remained under investigation, but the location, timing and nature of the conduct inside a synagogue during worship appear to have been central to the hate-crime designation. An NYPD sergeant assigned to the synagogue detained Montes at the scene. Officials said there were no serious injuries and no additional known threat, and services continued after he was taken into custody.

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Aug 15

$10,000 cash bail was set for Larry Montes, 46, at a Saturday night arraignment after prosecutors charged him with two assault hate crimes and one criminal mischief hate crime.
Friday night's disruption at Central Synagogue began after Montes sat through about 10 minutes of Shabbat services, then moved toward a restricted area, chopped at two candles valued at about $10,000 each and tried to approach the rabbi.
A 63-year-old woman suffered a cut lip and forearm injuries, and a security team member was spat on and headbutted while escorting him out; prosecutors said Montes could face 5 to 15 years if convicted.
Investigators said they have no evidence Montes specifically targeted anyone inside the synagogue, though officials said he yelled a racial slur and has a history of mental health issues.
The case lands amid a broader rise in antisemitic assaults in the United States, which the ADL said hit a record high last year.