Reward Offered in Burning Cross Case
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the City Council will offer rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who threw a burning cross at the home of an interracial couple.
The Board of Supervisors posted a $5,000 reward Tuesday and ordered the county Human Relations Commission to look into the incident.
The City Council is expected to approve its reward today, said Greg Nelson, a spokesman for Councilman Joel Wachs. The amount had not been determined Tuesday.
A 6-foot burning cross was tossed from a car Thursday night onto the driveway of Steven and Tracy Russell’s home, and a passenger shouted a racial epithet, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Neighbors and public officials have denounced the act, believed to be a hate crime because it was directed at an interracial family.
“It should really spark the resolve of all the people of L.A. County that we need to strengthen our multicultural communities and education,” said Robin Toma, assistant executive director of the Human Relations Commission.
The case is being investigated by the LAPD and FBI.
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