The California DMV apologized and recalled a controversial license plate spotted on a cyber truck mocking the Oct 7. attack on Israel. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2024.
The California DMV is apologizing after a driver was spotted in Culver City with a license plate that appeared to mock the Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas in Israel.
The DMV said in a social media post that “This is unacceptable and disturbing,” and that they are “taking swift action to recall these shocking plates, and we will immediately strengthen our internal review process to ensure such an egregious oversight never happens again.”
The license plate read "LOLOCT7," which stands for laugh out loud, and was spotted in the Culver City area. It was not clear where that driver was going to or from.
According to the organization StopAntisemitism, the vehicle was a Cyber Truck. They asked that the DMV "recall this license plate that celebrates the October 7th terrorist attack—a vile mockery of the 1,200 innocent lives lost and the countless others scarred."
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The DMV apologized for not rejecting the plates during the review process and stated that “the use of hateful language is not only a clear violation of our policies but also a violation of our core values to proudly serve the public and ensure safe and welcoming roadways.”
"It makes us feel vulnerable at a time when we want to feel bolstered, and that we want our community to find strength," said Zachary Shapiro, Rabbi at Temple Akiba in Culver City. "We want to feel safe, we want all people throughout the world to feel safe."
The plates were spotted just days after LA County released a report that showed there were more hate crimes reported in the county in 2023 -- than any other year on record.
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"This never should have happened," said Jeffrey Abrams, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League. "Though it may seem like it was a long time ago, what we saw in that one year, one year was a 90% increase in hate crimes directed at the Jewish community."
Jewish leaders hope the plate is quickly removed and all people consider compassion down the road.
"Here in Los Angeles County we have the largest community of Israelis outside of Israel who each and every one of them lost somebody on October 7th, think about the impact on those people," said Abrams.
