The District Attorney’s Office prioritizes combating hate crimes through strong prosecutions, community outreach and multi-agency collaboration 

August 8, 2026 – LOS ANGELES, CA – Gerald Pitts on Friday was sentenced to life plus seven years in state prison with the possibility of parole for the attempted murder of Santos Tejas Gonzalez during a brutal, unprovoked hate crime attack aboard a Metro bus in March 2023.

“A hate crime is more than just a criminal act against one person, it tears at the fibers that hold our community together,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “These crimes are meant to intimidate entire communities and weaken the trust that holds us together. Gerald Pitts attacked a complete stranger because of his race or perceived race, repeatedly stabbed him, and kept attacking him even after the victim fell from the bus. We’re grateful the victim survived and relieved that he is continuing to recover. This kind of violence is exactly what hate crime laws are meant to address.

“I urge everyone in Los Angeles County to reject this behavior whenever they see it and to stand with one another across every community. Public safety depends not only on enforcing the law but on refusing to tolerate bias-driven violence in any form. This office will not tolerate hate incidents and crimes in our communities and will respond with the full force of the law.”

On June 16, a jury found Pitts (67) of Santa Monica guilty of attempted murder and found true the allegation that the crime was committed willfully, deliberately and with premeditation in case 26CJCF00325. Jurors also found true allegations that Pitts personally used a knife, personally inflicted great bodily injury, and committed the offense in whole or in part because of the victim’s actual or perceived nationality, race or ethnicity, making it a hate crime.

On March 25, 2023, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Santos Tejas Gonzalez boarded a Metro bus and attempted to walk past Pitts to take a seat. Pitts immediately began shouting racial slurs at the victim. When Gonzalez tried to leave the bus at the next stop on Western Avenue and Exposition Boulevard to avoid further confrontation, Pitts stabbed him multiple times in the abdomen, arm, hand and face. As the victim fell from the bus, Pitts kicked him repeatedly in the head while continuing to yell racial slurs.

Gonzalez survived the attack despite suffering life-threatening injuries.

See Metro video of the attack here.

The District Attorney’s Office has made combating hate crimes a priority through aggressive prosecution, community outreach and close collaboration with law enforcement agencies and community organizations. The Office continues to encourage victims and witnesses to report hate crimes so perpetrators can be held accountable.

District Attorney Hochman has also pushed back against policies that allow perpetrators of violent hate crimes to avoid standard incarceration. Earlier this year, the Office successfully petitioned a California Court of Appeal to overturn a Los Angeles County trial court’s decision granting mental health diversion to Job Uriah Taylor, charged with attempted murder including a hate crime allegation. The appellate court agreed that the defendant's case should proceed through the traditional criminal justice process, reinforcing that violent hate crimes demand accountability that protects the public.

“I want to thank Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Illions of the Organized Crime Division for his exceptional work and unwavering commitment to justice on the Gerald Pitts case and the Los Angeles Police Department for its thorough investigation,” District Attorney Hochman said. “When someone commits a calculated act of violence fueled by hatred, our responsibility is to protect the public, seek justice for victims and ensure the law is fully enforced. We will continue to stand with every community targeted by hate and pursue these cases with the seriousness they deserve.”

The District Attorney's Office has multiple hate crime prosecutions pending in courts throughout the county, reflecting its continued commitment to protecting vulnerable communities and holding offenders accountable.

Job Uriah Taylor (28) of Santa Monica is charged with one count of attempted murder, three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon with force resulting in great bodily injury in case SA107988. The charges also include multiple hate crime enhancements as Taylor was heard shouting racial slurs at his victims during the attacks. Taylor was arrested on March 3, 2023, after allegedly using a metal pipe to beat a man in an encampment adjacent to the 5th Street Expo station in Santa Monica. The unprovoked attack was the last of three assaults with a deadly weapon Taylor is accused of committing within the span of an hour. Two of Taylor’s victims were hospitalized and another victim, 64-year-old Christian Hornburg, was beaten with a pipe. He survived but was severely injured. Taylor will face trial after the California Supreme Court declined to review the appellate court ruling agreeing with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office that the trial judge abused her discretion in granting pretrial mental health diversion. The published 2nd District Court of Appeal decision remains binding law and citable throughout the state of California. His motion pursuant to 995 PC and pretrial is set for Aug. 11 in Department 70 of the Airport Courthouse. If convicted as charged, Taylor faces life in state prison.

Paul Alan Thompson (23) of Los Angeles is charged in case 26CJCF01244 with one felony count each of attempted murder, assault with a firearm with personal use of a firearm, first-degree residential burglary with a person present, second-degree robbery, use of tear gas, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and assault with caustic chemicals. He is also charged with two felony counts each of assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats. The complaint includes multiple special allegations, including hate crime allegations. In incidents between April 8, 2025, and May 31, 2025, Thompson is accused of assaulting the victim, a transgender shopkeeper, multiple times at her shop near MacArthur Park, threatening the victim’s life because she is transgender and stealing money from her. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Aug. 21 in Department 111 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. If convicted as charged, Thompson faces up to life in state prison.

Bruce Alfred Lion (64) of Los Angeles is charged in case 26ARCF01183 with three felony hate crimes: one count of violation of civil rights and two counts of criminal threats. On June 5, 2026, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Lion allegedly stood on the balcony of his Pacific Palisades home and shouted antisemitic threats at his next-door neighbor, a rabbi leading a Shabbat prayer service. A mental health competency hearing is scheduled for August 21 in Hollywood. If Lion is found incompetent to stand trial, the judge could grant mental health diversion, which would require him to participate in outpatient mental health treatment for two years. If the judge denies mental health diversion, Lion would be ordered to undergo competency restoration treatment, either in the community or at a state hospital. If Lion is found competent to stand trial, the prosecution would resume. If convicted as charged, he faces up to seven years and four months in state prison.

Jose Antonio Montes-Gutierrez Jr. (30) of Winnetka is charged in case 26VWCF00157 with two felony counts each of hate crime-displaying a Nazi symbol on private property, two felony counts of vandalism of religious property-hate crime, and one felony count of vandalism of $400 or more in defacement with graffiti. On July 4, July 12, Aug. 10 and Aug. 30, 2025, Montes-Guitierrez Jr. is accused of placing backwards swastikas and antisemitic graffiti on Jewish owned or affiliated businesses, and public property near those locations in Woodland Hills and Encino. His preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for August 14 in Department 122 of the Van Nuys Courthouse. If convicted as charged, Montes-Guterrez Jr. faces up to nine years and four months in state prison.

Cara Marie Agrusa (32) of Los Angeles is charged in case 26CJCF00899 with three felony counts of making criminal threats and one felony count of vandalism of religious property and arson of a structure or forest, all hate crimes. On Feb. 7, 2026, at Islah Academy, an Islamic K-8 school on West Slauson Avenue, Agrusa allegedly spray-painted offensive graffiti on school grounds and threw eggs at the campus. When employees confronted her, she allegedly brandished a box cutter with the blade extended and threatened to kill them if they intervened. She is also accused of assaulting a victim by discharging a fire extinguisher at them. On July 22, mental health pretrial diversion was granted over the People’s objection. A progress report hearing is set for Sept. 24 in Department 44 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

Gregory Allen Pettis Jr. (28) of Gardena is charged in case 26TRCF00132 with four felony counts of making criminal threats and one felony count of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. He also faces several allegations including a hate crime special allegation. On Feb. 17, 2026, Pettis Jr. is accused of threatening to kill an employee at an electronics store in

Culver City. In another incident on Feb. 23, 2026, the defendant allegedly directed an anti-Mexican slur to a victim in the parking lot outside a restaurant in Redondo Beach then walked into the restaurant and threatened to kill several people while simulating a handgun in his waistband. He also allegedly punched the manager approximately 10 times. A preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for Aug. 19 in Department 4 of the Torrance Courthouse. If convicted as charged, Pettis Jr. faces up to 20 years in state prison.

Brian Rattliff (39) of Los Angeles is charged in case 26PDCF00384 with one felony count each of disturbing a religious meeting and use of tear gas and seven felony counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death. He also faces a hate crime allegation. On Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, at All Saints Church in Pasadena, Rattliff is accused of releasing a stream of tear gas near the choir comprised of adults and children. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 2 in Department H of the Pasadena Courthouse. If convicted as charged, Rattliff faces up to 15 years and four months in state prison.

Juan Carlos Estrada (47) of Van Nuys is charged in case 26PDCF00418 with one felony count each of violation of civil rights — a hate crime — and vandalism of $400 or more in defacement with graffiti. On May 3, 2026, at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral in Burbank, Estrada is accused of yelling racial epithets to parishioners and spray-painting a racial epithet on a car and sidewalk in front of the church. A preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for August 25 in Department J of the Pasadena Courthouse. If convicted as charged, Estrada faces up to seven years and four months in state prison.

Joey Madrid (34) of Los Angeles is charged in case 26CJCF03818 with one felony count of attempted murder with several allegations including a hate crime special allegation. On June 22, 2026, Madrid is accused of following a victim near First Street in Boyle Heights, calling him a racial epithet, pushing him to the ground, then stabbing him about three times in the face, neck and shoulder. A preliminary hearing is scheduled on Aug. 25 in Department 38 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. If convicted as charged, Madrid faces a possible indeterminate life sentence, plus an additional four years in state prison.

Do not stay silent. If you witness or experience a hate crime, report it so victims can receive support and law enforcement can investigate and pursue those responsible. Call:

• 911 for immediate emergencies, 211 for county support via LA vs. Hate, and (833) 866-4283 for the state CA vs. Hate hotline.
• 1-877-ASK-LAPD for Non-Emergency Police Response.
• 1-877-A-THREAT for Terrorist Threats.

The charges filed in the open cases are allegations. The defendants in the open cases are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Source: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office