A family-owned raisin business is taking steps to distance itself from one of its successors, Bruce Lyon, after his arrest linked to a series of racist and anti-Semitic incidents in the Pacific Palisades.
On Wednesday, Lion Raisins released a statement denouncing Lyon’s behavior, which reportedly involved verbal attacks against Jewish neighbors. A company spokesperson remarked that Lyon’s conduct “does not reflect Lion Raisin’s values” and firmly condemned all forms of hatred and discrimination. Additionally, they mentioned that Bruce Lyon would no longer participate in the company’s daily operations.
This statement followed Lyon’s indictment for making terrorist threats.
Recent footage of his arrest shows Lyon handcuffed and surrounded by police, hurling profanities. In a particularly disturbing moment, he can be heard shouting slurs, including, “Hey, you Jew, you Jew, you’re going to hell.”
In another part of the video, he confronts someone recording his arrest, asking if they were Jewish.
“Hey, are you Jewish, kid? Because it’s starting. Five days ago. Judgment Day mom, eh. Tell your friends,” he declared in a different recording.
As officers tried to place him in a police vehicle, Lyon resisted, raising his voice in anger. There were times when he threatened his mother as well, urging her to contact a lawyer.
This arrest followed multiple disputes with Rabbi Zushe Kunin, who lives nearby. Kunin reported that the tension increased after Lyon acquired land close to his home in March. He accused Lyon of disrupting activities at the Chabad and of making offensive remarks targeting both Jews and Black individuals, even going so far as to suggest that Jews were behind the Palisades fire.
Kunin recounted incidents where Lyon shouted slurs in the presence of children attending meetings at his residence, describing it as deeply unsettling. “I’ve never experienced that, especially in front of children. It’s completely unacceptable that we have to see this kind of hatred and anti-Semitism in this country,” he shared.
Lyon has a history of previous run-ins with law enforcement, including arrests for making threats and illegal firearm possession.
