A rabbi from Agoura Hills has been charged with murder after prosecutors say he deliberately drove his car into a parking lot worker at a Camarillo Costco, killing him.
Abba Avrohom Bryski, 35, is accused in the Oct. 20 death of Nicholas Lang, 28, of Modesto, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. Ventura County jail records list Bryski’s occupation as “Educator/Rabbi.”
Lang was painting stripes in the Costco parking lot at roughly 8:30 p.m. when prosecutors allege Bryski steered his Infiniti Q60 coupe directly at him and struck him intentionally. Authorities have not said what led up to the encounter or whether the two men knew each other.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to the Costco near the gas pumps at about 8:37 p.m. after reports that a man had been hit by a vehicle. Witnesses pointed deputies to the driver, who was detained and identified as Bryski. He was reportedly still in his vehicle nearby when authorities arrived.
Lang was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where he died of his injuries.
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko called the killing “a devastating and senseless loss of life.”
“The victim was at work, painting lines on a new parking lot, when his life was tragically cut short by an individual whose alleged actions demonstrated a shocking disregard for human life,” Nasarenko said.
“We are committed to holding the defendant accountable and pursuing justice for the victim and his loved ones,” he added.
Bryski was arrested and booked into Ventura County Jail on suspicion of murder. Prosecutors have charged him with murder with an allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon, along with a misdemeanor count of resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer.
He appeared in Ventura County Superior Court on Monday, where his arraignment was continued to Nov. 18 at 1:30 p.m. Bryski remains in custody without bail.
It remains unclear whether Bryski is affiliated with any specific congregation or institution, and the investigation into the circumstances of Lang’s death is ongoing.
