LA County man charged for allegedly threatening to "shoot up" Jewish center

A 43-year-old man from Lomita faces a hate crime charge for threatening to "shoot up" the Jewish Community Center in Redondo Beach.

Paul Dean Andrews pleaded not guilty to the hate crime charge and other felonies, including making criminal threats to a school and attempted criminal threats, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. He faces up to a little more than nine years in state prison if he's convicted as charged. He's being held on a $275,000 bail. 

"Hate crimes have no place in our community," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. "My office will not tolerate threats motivated by hatred and individuals who choose to engage in hate-driven crimes will be held fully accountable."  

Prosecutors said Andrews allegedly called the Jewish Community Center several times between Aug. 11 and Aug. 13 and went on antisemitic tirades. During the final call, Andrews allegedly threatened an executive, telling him to get out of the South Bay and that he knows that "there are a whole bunch of kids there" and that he was "going to come up and shoot up the place."

Andrews has a history of leaving voicemails filled with antisemitic slurs, according to the LA County DA's Office. 

"This defendant was given an opportunity to confront his bias and change his behavior after his previous felony case, but instead he chose not to and allegedly threatened to shoot up a Jewish community center," Hochman said. 

In 2024, a judge placed Andrews on a diversion program to dismiss a charge of negligent discharge of a firearm. As a condition of dismissal, the judge required Andrews to complete an anti-bias program through the Museum of Tolerance.

Instead, Andrews called the Museum of Tolerance and a local Jewish temple, leaving similar antisemitic tirades on their voicemails. As a result, a court found that Andrews violated the terms of his diversion program, and he was sentenced to 16 months in prison.