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NewsTimes of San DiegoAugust 3, 2026San Diego

San Diego reports record increase in hate crimes following Islamic Center attack

The San Diego City Attorney's Office reports the largest two-month increase in hate crimes since 2022 following the May 18 shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Local law enforcement and community organizations are tracking incidents targeting Muslim, LGBTQ+, and Jewish communities, including coordinated harassment and vandalism.

hate crimespublic safetycivil rightsSan Diegocommunity relations
Read the full story at Times of San Diego

Why It Matters

Residents are seeing a documented rise in hate-motivated incidents, which impacts public safety and community security for religious and minority groups across the San Diego region.

Key Facts

  • The San Diego City Attorney's Office reported the highest two-month increase in hate crimes since 2022.
  • The May 18 shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego resulted in three deaths.
  • The San Diego County District Attorney's Office has filed four hate crime cases: one gender-based, one religion-based, and two race/ethnicity-based.
  • The San Diego City Attorney's Office received 11 hate crime cases in two months and filed charges in six of them.
  • The ADL reported 82 antisemitic incidents since January, including three physical assaults.
  • There are 17 mosques in the San Diego region, many of which have reported receiving hate-motivated correspondence or digital messages.
  • The investigation into the Islamic Center shooting remains active.
  • United Against Hate Week is scheduled for October 18-24.

Who's Mentioned

other17“Number of mosques in the region.”other11“Number of hate crime cases received by the City Attorney in two months.”personDaniel Korchnoy“Chief of special investigations for the San Diego City Attorney's Office.”personFabienne Perlov“Regional director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).”personAn Dang“Member of the San Diego County District Attorney's Special Operations Division.”personOmar Abusham“Community outreach lead for CAIR.”personTaha Hassane“Imam at the Islamic Center of San Diego.”other82“Number of antisemitic incidents reported since January.”personDoug Roysdon“Detective with the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.”locationIslamic Center of San Diego“Site of a mass shooting on May 18.”