California Chabad Rabbi Arrested for Murder After Costco Parking Lot Incident
A California Chabad rabbi has been arrested for murder after allegedly striking and killing a 28-year-old pedestrian in a Costco parking lot in Camarillo, with bail set at three million dollars.
A Chabad rabbi in California has been arrested on suspicion of murder after allegedly running over a 28-year-old man in the parking lot of a Costco wholesale warehouse. The suspect, 35-year-old Rabbi Aba Briski of Agoura Hills in Southern California, is the son of Rabbi Moshe Briski, a prominent Chabad leader in the Los Angeles area.
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening near the gas pumps of the Costco branch in Camarillo, northwest of Los Angeles. According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, deputies were dispatched following a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Upon arrival, eyewitnesses pointed to Briski as the driver involved. Deputies located him sitting in his car in the parking lot and subsequently arrested him.
The victim, a 28-year-old resident of Modesto, California, was transported to a hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead. Authorities have yet to release his name. Briski was arrested on suspicion of murder, along with allegations of resisting and obstructing an officer. His bail has been set at three million dollars.
At this stage, the circumstances of the fatal collision remain unclear. Investigators have not disclosed what transpired in the moments leading up to the impact, whether any altercation occurred between the suspect and the victim, or if the collision was intentional. Police have also not explained what led them to investigate the incident as a murder rather than a fatal traffic accident. Under California law, a murder conviction does not necessarily require proof of explicit intent to kill, as actions exhibiting a conscious disregard for human life can also qualify.
The investigation is being led by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Bureau, which has urged the public and eyewitnesses to come forward with any information. The suspect's father, Rabbi Moshe Briski, is a well-known figure in the Southern California Jewish community, heading Chabad activities in the Conejo Valley and serving as dean of a local Jewish academy.
