PACIFIC PALISADES (VINnews) – A 64-year-old dried fruit company heir was arrested Friday night on terror threats charges after authorities say he subjected a Chabad rabbi and his congregation to repeated antisemitic and racist harassment from his multimillion-dollar mansion next door.

Bruce Lion, scion of the Fresno-based Lion Raisins company, was taken into custody by Los Angeles police just before midnight following numerous complaints from Rabbi Zushe Cunin of Chabad of Pacific Palisades, according to the LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Lion was charged with making terror threats and was being held on $50,000 bail.

Cunin described months of disturbing behavior that escalated to Lion screaming slurs and threats at worshippers, including children, from the balcony of his $5.3 million home purchased in March.

In videos obtained by The California Post, Lion is seen and heard unleashing a tirade of antisemitic insults at the rabbi, including “Jew boy,” accusations that Jews “kill Jesus,” and threats to “pull” the rabbi’s nose. He also repeatedly used the N-word in outbursts against Black people, the rabbi said.

“I ain’t going nowhere Jew boy, lose some f—ing weight. Go f—ing work. Do something for a change. Your fake f—ing gospel don’t mean s—t. You’re f—ing done. You kill Jesus, you’re going to f—ing hell,” Lion screamed in one recorded confrontation, according to the report.

Cunin said the harassment included interrupting worship services and shouting antisemitic statements in front of young children.

“It was horrific,” Cunin told The California Post. “I’ve never experienced it, especially in front of kids. Little children. In this country, to have to see this kind of hatred and antisemitism is just unacceptable.”

The rabbi noted that he and community members made repeated complaints to police before Friday’s arrest.

Lion has a significant criminal history, including a 2019 conviction for making criminal threats and illegal gun possession while violating a domestic violence restraining order. He faced additional arrests in 2023 for alleged assault, vandalism and further domestic violence-related violations.

A day before his arrest, Lion told The California Post he deliberately blasted loud Christian devotional music and Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” to antagonize his Jewish neighbors, saying it made him happy to tell them they are “going to hell” and calling them “gross pigs.” He also claimed the rabbi was “hiding bodies” on the Chabad property.

City Councilwoman Traci Parks strongly condemned the alleged hate.

“The hate and harassment directed at a rabbi and members of his congregation in Pacific Palisades is reprehensible and deeply disturbing,” Parks said. “We appreciate LAPD taking these concerns seriously and acting swiftly to protect our community. Let me be clear: hate has no home in Pacific Palisades, in Council District 11, or anywhere in the City of Los Angeles.”

Lion Raisins, the family company, employs hundreds and reported substantial revenue last year. The firm was recently ordered by the Department of Labor to pay back wages following a workplace safety investigation.

Chabad of Pacific Palisades continues its vital community work serving local Jewish families despite the ordeal.