A Moorpark man was arrested Nov. 16 for the death of 69-year-old Paul Kessler, a Jewish man who was killed as a result of an altercation Nov. 5 in Thousand Oaks, California, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office has announced.
Loay Alnaji, 50, a computer science teacher at Moorpark College, was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and booked at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility. His bail will be set at $1 million, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities still encourage anyone with information about the incident to contact Detective Stump at (805) 384-4745.
Anyone who was driving a vehicle equipped with video recording equipment, such as a Tesla, in the area of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard between 3 p.m. ad 4 p.m. Nov. 5 are also encouraged to reach out to detectives.
Mr. Kessler died a day after he was involved in an altercation with a pro-Palestinian protestor at the Nov. 5 event. According to witnesses, he was struck in the face and fell on the pavement, hitting his head. Mr. Kessler died Nov. 6 of severe head trauma caused by the fall, authorities reported.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office determined he was a victim of homicide, meaning he died as a result of someone else’s actions, according to Chief Medical Examiner Christopher Young.