Police arrest suspect in death of elderly pro-Israel protester in California
Rachel Schilke
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Police in California have arrested a suspect in connection to the death of a pro-Israel protester last week.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Thursday that authorities arrested Loay Alnaji in Moorpark and charged him with involuntary manslaughter. His bail is set at $1 million.
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Pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters were demonstrating in Thousand Oaks on Nov. 5 when Paul Kessler, 69, got into an argument with a pro-Palestinian protester. Kessler fell backward and hit his head, causing injuries that led to his death on Nov. 6. The suspect cooperated with the investigation and stayed at the scene of the fall for some time afterward.
“Though an arrest has been made, we continue to encourage community members who may have information about this criminal investigation and have yet to come forward to please contact Detective Stump at (805) 384-4745,” the sheriff’s office said Thursday.
Previously, police said the details surrounding Kessler’s death were “not crystal clear,” as video evidence did not provide clear shots of the incident and witness statements were conflicting.
On Thursday, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office asked people who were driving vehicles equipped with video recording equipment, “such as Teslas,” in the area of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Nov. 5 to contact detectives or use a link to submit video footage of the incident. Those who captured photos of the incident were asked to send them in as well.
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Investigators had ruled out Kessler’s death as a possible hate crime. Chief medical examiner Dr. Christopher Young ruled Kessler’s death a homicide but emphasized that it did not mean a crime was committed.
Authorities said it was unclear if a blow to the face caused Kessler’s fall. However, the injuries were consistent with those sustained from a fall, including skull fractures and brain trauma, according to Young. Kessler’s cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma.