NORTH HOLLYWOOD — Police are searching for a man they said attacked three Orthodox Jewish women in North Hollywood when he grabbed or attempted to grab the wigs off their heads.
All three of the victims were wearing sheitels — traditional wigs worn by married Orthodox Jewish women to cover their hair — when the man approached them. Two of the attacks occurred on the Yom Kippur holiday on Sept. 19, while the third happened on Tuesday.
The three incidents were being investigated as hate crimes, Los Angeles Police Department officials said in a written statement. The officials said the man “battered the women and targeted their wigs because of their religious beliefs.”
“Orthodox Jewish women often wear wigs, scarfs, or hats to cover their hair as a symbol of modesty,” police said in the statement.
In the first attack on Yom Kippur, an 80-year-old woman was walking north on Bellaire Avenue away from Burbank Boulevard when she noticed a man was following her.
The man eventually got close enough to grab the wig off of her, police said in the statement. When she looked at him, he smiled and gave back the wig.
Later that day, a 36-year-old woman reported a similar incident. Police said the same man tried to pull a wig from her head, but was not successful.
In the third attack on Tuesday, a 58-year-old woman was loading equipment into her car near Laurel Canyon and Burbank boulevards.
Police said the same man came up to her and also pulled the wig off of her head.
“He then stated to the victim, ‘Oh, I’m sorry’ in a sarcastic manner and threw the wig on the ground,” police said. “The suspect then walked away.”
The suspect in the attacks has not been identified. But police released two photos of him captured by security cameras from the first attack on Yom Kippur.
In the photos, the man was wearing a red sweatshirt, black shorts, a baseball cap and yellow sunglasses.
Police asked anyone with information about the suspect to contact Detective Dan Fournier at (818) 754-8451.
