A Santa Monica man was sentenced Thursday to life plus seven years in state prison with the possibility of parole for the attempted murder of a stranger during an unprovoked hate crime attack aboard a Metro bus in March 2023, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced. "This kind of violence is exactly what hate crime laws are meant to address." The office said it continues to encourage victims and witnesses to report hate crimes so perpetrators can be held accountable. Hochman said he has also pushed back against policies that allow perpetrators of violent hate crimes to avoid standard incarceration, according to the District Attorney's Office. The appellate court agreed the defendant's case should proceed through the traditional criminal justice process, which the office said reinforces that violent hate crimes demand accountability that protects the public.