The Sarasota Police Department arrested Brayton Laschinger, 30, of Sarasota for vandalism of a synagogue in Downtown Sarasota. Laschinger is facing a felony charge of criminal mischief of a religious building as a hate crime.

The vandalism took place around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at a synagogue on Cocoanut Avenue.  In surveillance footage, Laschinger is seen wearing a blue towel covering his head and face throwing a brick and breaking the front window.

Laschinger claims that the same morning he saw propaganda on social media and that was making him mad. He admitted to detectives that he threw the brick at the window of the synagogue because it was a Jewish place of worship.

The case remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call the Sarasota Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 941-263-6070 or Sarasota Crime Stoppers at 941-366-TIPS (8477).

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