Coral Springs police arrest man accused of striking synagogue menorah with shopping cart
Coral Springs, Florida – A California man faces three charges after a security officer accused him of ramming a shopping cart into a menorah at Chabad of Coral Springs.
Officers responded to the synagogue at about 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17. The security officer told police the man was pushing a cart containing a pit bull when he struck the menorah. A rabbi estimated the menorah’s value at approximately $5,000, the report said.
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Police later located a man on Wiles Road who matched the description, including the shopping cart and dog. Authorities identified him as Matthew John Ryan, 44, of Winnetka, California. According to the report, Ryan had been in Broward County for six days.
Officers said they instructed Ryan to get on the ground. He responded, “I’m in a production movie,” according to the report.
Police alleged that Ryan then reached into a bag worn across his body, prompting officers to take him to the ground. During the encounter, he tensed his arms, pulled away and attempted to grab a sergeant’s taser before officers placed him in handcuffs, the report said.
An officer brought the synagogue’s security officer to the location. Police said the witness identified Ryan as the person who had struck the menorah.
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Investigators also determined that the shopping cart belonged to the Walmart on University Drive. A store manager valued it at $250 and told officers that carts were not permitted to leave the property. The manager said Walmart wanted to prosecute, according to police. The cart was returned to the store.
Ryan was charged with felony criminal mischief at a place of worship, resisting an officer without violence and illegal possession of a shopping cart.
At a hearing Sunday, a judge found sufficient grounds to hold him and set bond at $2,500 for the felony charge and $500 for the resisting charge.
Separately, Chabad officials plan to install a new, 10-foot menorah with LED lighting on the campus next month.
The arrest report did not provide a motive for the alleged incident or explain what happened to the pit bull.
