UC Berkeley hate crime report: BB gun shooting, racial slurs
"This kind of violence has no place in our community," said Cecilia Lunaparra, Berkeley City Council rep for the Southside district.
UC Berkeley police are investigating a recent hate crime on Telegraph Avenue involving reports of a BB gun shooting and racial slurs.
The report came to the University of California Police Department on Tuesday but the incident happened Friday, UCPD said in a prepared statement at 2:40 p.m.
The victims — UC Berkeley students — said they were walking in the Southside neighborhood near Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue, right next to the Cal campus, "when unidentified suspect(s) shot them with what was believed to be BBs or other … objects," authorities said.
The assailants "yelled racial slurs while committing this crime," UCPD said.
No other information was immediately available, police said Tuesday afternoon.
- Aggravated assault is an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault is usually accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm.
- A hate crime is a criminal offense that manifests evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the perpetrator's bias against the victim.
Authorities ask anyone with additional details to call UCPD at 510-642-6760.
Read more about crime near UC Berkeley.
"The commission of a hate crime is a serious offense that will not be tolerated," UCPD said in Tuesday's statement. "UCPD recognizes and places a high priority on the rights of all individuals guaranteed under state and federal law."
Shortly after publication, Cecilia Lunaparra shared the following statement about the report.
"I’m outraged by the recent hate crime and assault in District 7," she said. "This kind of violence has no place in our community. I have faith that together we’ll keep fighting for a Southside neighborhood and community that welcomes and stands in solidarity with all of our residents, especially the most marginalized."
Learn more about hate crimes and hate crime reporting in California on the state attorney general's office.
