LA Youth Hockey Team Suspended Over Nazi Salute

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A Los Angeles youth hockey team has been suspended over a video posted to social media last month which showed one of its players doing a Nazi salute while others made anti-Semitic remarks.

The LA Jr. Kings (LAJK) confirmed in a statement Monday that three coaches and 15 players from its organization have been suspended over the March 9 video.

According to The Athletic, the video showed one player from the LA Jr. Kings 14 and under Bantam AAA team doing a Nazi salute while several others laugh. Someone can be heard asking, "Are you a Nazi?," followed by "F--- the Jews" and "F----- Jews," the Athletic reports.

LAJK said that all the players in the video are members its organization.

"The events on March 9 are regretful to many, especially the players and parents," LAJK said in a statement. "We will work together to educate and grow, and in this regard lead with action.

Along with being suspended from the team, the players and coaches are also prohibited from attending any events at the Toyota Sports Center, where they play and practice. The California Amateur Hockey Association and U.S. Center for Safesport are also investigating the incident.

The LA Jr. Kings are not affiliated with the NHL's LA Kings, but are allowed to use the professional franchise's logo, according to the L.A. Times newspaper.

This follows a photo which surfaced last month in which students from three Orange County high schools were caught doing Nazi salutes and forming swastikas.

The March 3 photo at an off-campus party showed students saluting like Nazis around red plastic cups arranged to form a swastika during a game of beer pong. The party was attended by a few dozen teenagers from Newport Harbor, Costa Mesa and Estancia High schools. The photo touched off a firestorm of criticism, prompting several community meetings.