Florida man arrested after brick attack on Sarasota Chabad deemed a hate crime

Brayton Laschinger, 30, was arrested by the Sarasota Police Department for a brick attack on the Chabad of Downtown SRQ on Wednesday at approximately 6 a.m. Laschinger faces a felony charge of criminal mischief of a religious building, and the incident has been classified as a hate crime. Surveillance footage showed Laschinger smashing the synagogue's front window with a brick. He admitted to detectives that he targeted the synagogue because "it was a Jewish place of worship," claiming anger from social media propaganda. Rabbi Levi Steinmetz of Chabad of Downtown SRQ thanked the police for the swift arrest but expressed concern that "the suspect has been released on bail while these serious charges are pending," urging heightened security. This incident contributes to Florida's high volume of antisemitic acts, with 319 recorded in 2025 according to the Anti-Defamation League.