LAPD investigating assaults by Armenians against peaceful Azerbaijanis as hate crimes

By Trend

On July 23, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced that Azerbaijanis were attacked and injured by Armenian groups during the violence outbreak in front of the Azerbaijan’s Consulate General in Los Angeles on July 21, Trend reports citing the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles.

After the incident, the Armenians tried to present themselves as victims on all social media platforms, blaming Azerbaijanis for the violence. Police also said that they are investigating the assaults against Azerbaijanis as hate crimes, said the report.

According to LAPD, a hate crime is any criminal act or attempted criminal act directed against a person or persons based on the victim’s actual or perceived race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability or gender.

In his interview to KTLA5 News channel of Los Angeles, Azerbaijan’s Los Consul General Nasimi Aghayev said that “hate crimes were committed against Azerbaijanis, as they were assaulted by the Armenian mob because of their ethnicity.”

The clashes between Azerbaijanis and Armenians in Los Angeles were triggered by gross ceasefire violations by Armenian armed forces on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in the direction of Tovuz district of Azerbaijan. The fighting continued in the following several days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian armed forces.