An Arizona doctor and two others are facing felony charges after they allegedly keyed multiple cars belonging to pro-Palestinian activists early this year.
Bryan Long, 48, and Matthew and Lisa Karlovsky were booked on felony criminal damage charges on April 25, nearly three months after the original incident. Lisa Karlovsky, 52, previously served as the Arizona Republican Jewish Coalition director, while her husband, Matthew, 51, is a doctor.
Cars were keyed when local Jewish and Palestinian community members were picketing outside a synagogue holding an event for the Anti-Defamation League, featuring the organization's CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.
"The ADL has come under intense scrutiny lately for its insistence that any criticism of Israel is antisemitic and its justification of the ongoing genocide that Israel is committing in Gaza, killing over 33,000 Palestinians and counting," the Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance said in a statement at the time.
The trio is accused of causing nearly $45,000 in damage by using keys to scratch and carve messages into the paint, including "baby killers" and "murderers," as well as symbols, including the star of David.
"What really stuck out to me, as a Jewish individual, was the usage of the Star of David — a religious symbol for us Jews being used as a hate symbol," Sophie Levitt, the co-founder of the Jewish organization Bafrayung Itst or "Liberation Now" told KTVK.
Levitt, who was among those picketing outside the event, said that the protest was peaceful but that the situation escalated when people attending the event began to leave.
People outside began "yelling and disrupting and making obscene gestures, saying inappropriate things," Levitt said.
Long reportedly admitted to using a screwdriver to scratch one vehicle. He described Lisa as "out of control" and alleged that she keyed 10 of the 16 damaged cars and screamed at pro-Palestinian protestors as they were walking away, according to KTVK.
Matthew Karlovsky allegedly acted as a lookout while the vandalism was occurring. The entire incident was reportedly captured on surveillance footage.
