Police charge California man with terrorist threats after firing on home with Chanukah decorations

A 23-year-old was arrested on Jan. 8 for allegedly firing a weapon at a Jewish home in Redlands, Calif., about an hour east of Los Angeles, the Redlands Police Department stated.

Police said the man, identified as Redlands resident Garrett Bailey Stater, was arrested without incident on charges of terrorizing and making terrorist threats.

On Dec. 12, shots were fired from a vehicle at the home, which was decorated for the Chanukah holiday, with reports that someone also shouted an antisemitic slur, said police, who later recovered an airsoft gun they say was used in the incident.

There were no reported injuries or damage, according to the police.

Carl Baker, public information officer for the City of Redlands, told JNS that Stater has “no prior history of anything like this” and that the incident “does not appear to have been a premeditated act.”

“It looks like he was probably under the influence of drugs at the time and just took an action,” Baker said. “There’s no indication that he’s associated with any kind of a group.”

The Jewish family appears to have been targeted over the “decorations in their yard,” according to Baker. Police stated that “the family’s home and yard were prominently decorated in celebration of Chanukah.”

According to Baker, others in the vehicle with the suspect were questioned but not arrested.

David Englin, senior Los Angeles regional director at the Anti-Defamation League, told JNS that “we are grateful for the seriousness with which the Redlands Police Department conducted their investigation.”

“The arrest is a reassuring measure of security for the neighborhood, which was shaken by the targeting of a Jewish family’s home,” he said.

©️JNS