But hate crimes in Los Angeles are relatively static this year, Frank said. There were 223 reported hate crimes in the city at this time in 2017, compared with 231 this year, he said. Police have not established any links between Abdi and known terror or hate groups, but Frank cautioned the department’s investigation was in its earliest stages. ||||| LAPD requested the help of the FBI and other partners in the Joint Terrorism Task force to investigate a criminal act near Beth Yehuda Synagogue as a potential hate crime.Investigators say the suspect is Mohamed Mohamed Abdi, a 32-year old immigrant from Mogadishu, Somalia, who arrived in Los Angeles just days ago. Abdi is currently accused of using his vehicle as a deadly weapon on Friday night to target Jewish pedestrians.Officers found a knife in Abdi's car after he rammed into two vehicles while fleeing the area.On Monday, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said there is no evidence Abdi acted with others as part of a plot. However, the task force is seeking evidence regarding his motive."We are not naive, to the extent that he could have relationships with other similarly like-minded individuals, and we are reminded of that and our investigative efforts will exploit his travel, his background, his social media accounts - a full spectrum approach on this," Moore said.Witnesses said Abdi spewed anti-Semitic hate speech as he allegedly made a run at two of the synagogue members, making a U-turn to target them a second time.Security cameras show that Abdi kept driving so recklessly he barely paused before plowing across several lanes of traffic where he struck two vehicles.Moore was blunt about the threats that are happening more frequently."Hate in America is on the rise. That has to change," Moore said.In Los Angeles, hate crimes have increased by 3.6 percent by this time last year, and Moore suspects the number of incidents are underreported.As for Friday's crime, the pedestrians are credited with being alert. They had noticed Abdi's behavior and were able to run out of the way."This could have been a lot, lot worse. If these victims were not paying attention, they would have never have seen this guy make a U-turn and come toward them. We could have been looking at a totally different situation today," Deputy Chief Horace Frank said.Abdi remains in custody with bail set at $55,000.Authorities ask if there are additional victims to come forward. You may contact the LAPD major crime division at (213) 486-7220. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
 
 A man is facing a hate crime charge after allegedly yelling out anti-Semitic slurs and trying to hit Jewish congregants with his vehicle outside a Hancock Park synagogue over the weekend, Los Angeles Police Department officials announced Monday. 
 
 The incident occurred about 9 p.m. Nov. 23 after an event at Congregation Bais Yehuda, 360 N. La Brea Ave. 
 
 Two men, 37 and 57, were walking toward Oakwood Avenue when the saw a man in a vehicle yell out expletives "referencing their Jewish heritage," LAPD Deputy Chief Horace Frank said Monday. The men saw the driver, identified as Mohamed Mohamed Abdi, run a red light, make a U-Turn and accelerate toward them. The men hid behind a traffic light pole and an electric box to avoid getting hit, Frank said. 
 
 Abdi allegedly tried to hit the men again before attempting to drive away, but he crashed into another vehicle in the area. No one was injured during the incident, police said. 
 
 At some point, the men alerted authorities, who responded to the scene and arrested Abdi. Police found a knife in Abdi's vehicle, Chief Michel Moore said. 
 
 Abdi, 32, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and faces a special enhancement of a hate crime, officials said. 
 
 Abdi is a U.S. citizen from Somalia, but had only been in the Los Angeles area for only a few days, Moore said. He lived in the Seattle area for several years, the Los Angeles Times reported. 
 
 Frank told the newspaper that Abdi renter a car and drove south last week, but his reasons for doing so were unclear. Frank noted that the nature of the attack echoes recent terror incidents using rented vehicles, which was "very concerning." 
 
 The chief added that while there is no evidence that Abdi was working on a larger attack, the LAPD and FBI are looking into his background, recent travel and social media history. 
 
 "Hate in America is on the rise," Moore said. "That has to change." He said that part of that change includes making sure that victims of hate crimes speak up and report any hate speech or actions. 
 
 Last year, there were 223 reported hate crimes in the city of Los Angeles, compared to 231 reported so far this year, Frank said. 
 
 Young Israel of Hancock Park's security coordinator, Matthew Kest, told the Times that someone shouted, “The Jews won’t be around for long,” at a congregant who was biking to the synagogue earlier this month. 
 
 On Nov. 7, LAPD arrested a man accused of accosting at least three Orthodox Jewish women and pulling off their wigs in Valley Glen. 
 
 The recent rash of local anti-Semitic incidents follow a mass shooting that left 11 dead inside a Pittsburgh synagogue in late October. 
 
 "This type of hate and violence will not stand," L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz said about the Nov. 23 incident that occurred in his district. "My colleagues and I will do everything in our power to make sure that our communities are protected and secure. We will continue to fight anti-Semitism and bigotry, and we will continue to shine light on the darkness of hate."
– Witnesses say a driver tried to run down pedestrians outside a Los Angeles synagogue Friday night—and then did a U-turn for a second attempt at running them over. Security camera footage shows the vehicle plowing across traffic after the attack, hitting two vehicles. Mohamed Mohamed Abdi, a US citizen originally from Somalia, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, CBS Los Angeles reports. Police say they are investigating reports that the 32-year-old was shouting anti-Semitic abuse at people near the intersection where the attack took place, which has two synagogues. A knife was found in the rented car Abdi was driving, police say. The Los Angeles Police Department says the FBI and other agencies have been called in to help investigate the incident, which is being treated as a potential hate crime, ABC 7 reports. LAPD Deputy Chief Horace Frank says the two men Abdi targeted escaped injury by hiding behind an electric box and a traffic light, KTLA reports. The Los Angeles Times reports that investigators are now looking into Abdi's background. Frank says he moved to Seattle from Mogadishu a few years ago and drove to Los Angeles a few days before the attack. He says the suspect's "very concerning actions" strongly resemble those used in recent terror attacks. (Last week, a passenger was arrested after saying he wanted to "identify all the Jews" on a flight to Atlanta.)