LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon squared off via Zoom on Wednesday with Nathan Hochman, his challenger in the November election, with the two candidates exchanging pointed but polite blows in their first head-to-head encounter of the race.

The virtual forum was marked by technical glitches, rapid-fire switches between topics, and attacks by both candidates. Gascon defended his prosecutorial record while laying out a progressive vision for another four years in office. Hochman, in turn, attempted to pitch himself as the tougher-on-crime alternative.

A lightning rod of controversy since taking office four years ago on a platform of criminal justice reform, Gascon has since rolled back some of his boldest policies in the face of withering criticism. But he said he still prioritizes reducing the incarceration rate while also holding lawbreakers accountable and keeping crime low.

"We have evolved," Gascon said, noting that the D.A.'s office under his leadership has prosecuted "over 100,000 serious and violent crimes."

Citing one example, he pointed to his stance on sentencing enhancements, which can extend prison terms for certain crimes. Gascon initially halted the use of most enhancements, including for hate crimes, but said: "Very early on there were concerns about hate crime allegations, and we brought those (enhancements) back in."

Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, repeatedly claimed that his opponent was misrepresenting facts, and described the district attorney as presiding over "extreme policies" that leave Angelenos less safe.

"The choice for D.A. could not have more stark contrast," Hochman said. "You have tried a social experiment with public safety," he said later, "and it has failed and it is time to end it."

Billed as a candidate forum, the event was put on by Jewish Federation Los Angeles and moderated by Alex Cohen, a political journalist at Spectrum News 1. It began nearly 10 minutes late amid technical difficulties, and the candidates struggled with the mute button and strictly imposed time limits on their responses to questions.

Hochman sat in front of an antiseptic white background, well-lit in a pressed dark suit and close-trimmed coif. Gascon was brightly backlit and had knickknacks and a potted plant behind him as he spoke.

Both men picked and chose information and data that helped make their respective cases to voters. Hochman highlighted figures published by the California Department of Justice that show violent crimes in L.A. County rose 12.1% between 2020 and 2023. Property crimes have also increased, he said.

"Don't let Gascon gaslight you into believing crime is down when the California DOJ and your own personal experiences show (the opposite)," Hochman said.

The state Justice Department data show that while rapes fell between 2020 and 2023, homicides remained steady in the county. But Gascon pointed to Los Angeles police statistics that show that citywide, homicides fell 17% from 2022 to 2023.

Hochman called the incumbent out for referencing city statistics while the office's purview is the county. He also lambasted the district attorney over incidents that occurred within the city of L.A. — which has its own city attorney — including protests, intimidation and violence on campuses and outside a synagogue.

Gascon responded to a barrage of such Hochman attacks by calmly stating that his opponent "struggles with the truth. Tonight he fails to understand the role of the D.A."

On the heels of Tuesday's widely viewed presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Gascon made one last dig at his opponent, who is now an independent but previously ran for state attorney general as a Republican.

"Tonight we heard another Trumpian political fearmonger," he said. "You've now heard two very different visions of the future of our community."

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