Just "Hunting Rats"
Harvard Law Professor Arrested for Firing Pellet Gun Near Synagogue on Yom Kippur Eve
Carlos Portugal Gouvea, a Harvard Law visiting professor, was arrested outside Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Yom Kippur after allegedly firing a pellet gun that shattered a car window. Police say the act was not antisemitic, though Gouvea claimed he was “hunting rats.”
On October 1, 2025, Carlos Portugal Gouvea, a 43-year-old visiting professor at Harvard Law School and associate professor at the University of São Paulo, was arrested outside Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Massachusetts, just as Yom Kippur began.
Authorities allege Gouvea fired a pellet rifle, shattering a car window in the area, prompting a swift response from over a dozen police officers.
According to police, Gouvea admitted to using the pellet gun to hunt rats in the neighborhood. Authorities determined the incident was not directed at the synagogue or motivated by antisemitism.
Two private security guards at the temple confronted Gouvea after hearing shots, leading to a brief physical altercation before he fled to his nearby home, where police arrested him on the sidewalk.
Gouvea faced charges in Brookline District Court on October 2, 2025, including illegally discharging a pellet gun, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and vandalism.
He pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance, with a hearing scheduled for early November.
Harvard Law School has placed him on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Notably, an age old antisemitic trope refers to Jews as rats.