2 Arrested in West Hollywood Attack

Authorities arrested two suspects and are looking for 15 others who allegedly beat and kicked two men outside a West Hollywood nightclub while chanting “Kill the Jews!” officials said Friday.

Booked on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and committing a hate crime were Daoud Mohammed Mavid, 19, and Mohammed Hassan Aref, 22, both of Los Angeles.

Each posted a $55,000 bond and was released.

One of the two victims, Fareed Kanani, recounted the harrowing ordeal. He and a friend, Michael Kashany, both 25, had left the Goodbar nightclub early Sunday morning.

“I heard footsteps,” Kanani said. “I looked back, and there’s about 15 guys running toward us. They just kept coming.... It freaked me out.”

“First, they struck me in the head and hit my ear. Another guy grabbed me by the arms. I looked around and saw [my friend] Michael. He was being kicked on the ground. They were screaming, ‘Kill the Jews!’ ” Kanani said.

Kanani and Kashany escaped and took refuge in the nearby Sierra Towers, a high-rise apartment house close to the West Hollywood-Beverly Hills city line.

Both Jewish and Muslim groups denounced the hate crime.

Amanda Susskind, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, called the incident disturbing.

“It’s always alarming to hear about a crime such as this.... We applaud law enforcement for acting in this matter, and we’re glad the victims have come forward to speak about this. The community needs to be more informed about anti-Semitism.

“Hate of all kinds exists in the community, and we continue to monitor and try to control it, whether it is directed at Jews or Muslims or others,” Susskind said.

“Law enforcement has been fair in prosecuting hate crimes by the Jewish Defense League against Muslims,” said Salam al-Marayati, director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

“We should all stand as a united community against anyone who commits a hate crime,” he said, “especially that motivated by religion, because our religions have no room for hate crimes.”

“The case is under investigation, and at this time there are no formal charges,” said Scott Millington, head of the hate crimes section of the district attorney’s office.

The manager of the Goodbar nightclub, Ivan Urlich, said the altercation apparently had grown out of a “Persian night” promotion by the club.

He said that both Iranian Muslims and Jews had showed up for the well-advertised event. Urlich said there had been no trouble inside the club.

West Hollywood sheriff’s Lt. Patrick Jordan said deputies responded to reports of a beating in the street about 2:20 a.m. Sunday.

“Leaving the Goodbar,” he said, “the victims were followed by 10 to 15 Persian males. They yelled epithets such as ‘Kill the Jews.’ We arrested two people and we’re still trying to identify the rest.... The victims got knocked to the ground and stomped.”

Kanani said that he and Kashany had been in the nightclub for more than an hour. “I was a little tired,” he said. “We decided to leave before the group did, and, outside, at a bus stop, we saw this gentleman. He said, ‘We’re going to kill all you ... Jews.”

“I went up to him and asked him why he would say something as harsh as that, especially when he doesn’t know who I am.... He said, ‘It doesn’t matter. We’re going to start with you.’ ”

During the attack, “they tore my shirt off, but I got away from the guys who were holding me back, and punched a couple of the guys. I got my friend loose. We ran toward the security guards at the apartment house.”

Kanani said he suffered a possible broken nose and cuts and bruises.

A witness, John Griffeth, the president of the Sierra Towers Homeowners Assn., said he had heard the shouts. “They were chanting, ‘Kill the Jews! Kill the Jews!’ I recorded it.” He said the incident lasted about 10 minutes in all.

Griffeth and another resident of the Sierra Towers said there had been frequent complaints about violence at or outside the Goodbar club.

West Hollywood City Councilman Jeff Prang said that, just this week, the city’s Business License Commission held a hearing and decided to impose new restrictions on the club.

Among them is a requirement that the club employ off-duty sheriff’s officers on busy nights. He said commissioners had also declared the club would be shut down if there was more trouble.

Ulrich said that he had tried to control occasional trouble, but that the Persian promotion “was like three birthday parties put together.”

“We don’t ask what political stripe or religion is showing up,” he said.