DOJ to investigate Turning Point event in Berkeley

Federal authorities say they will investigate whether UC Berkeley provided "adequate security" at Monday night's Turning Point USA event on campus.

Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, announced the plans Tuesday on X, writing that "Mob assault and thuggish intimidation of attendees exercising their First Amendment rights are unacceptable."

Dhillon wrote that her division would launch "a full investigation into the potential failures at UC Berkeley and any who enabled such violence" at Monday night's TPUSA event at Zellerbach Hall.

UC Berkeley was quick to respond to the announcement, saying it would conduct its own investigation and "fully cooperate with and assist any federal investigations and the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force to identify the outside agitators responsible for attempting to disrupt last night’s TPUSA event."

In the prepared statement, Cal said that more than 900 people had attended Turning Point's "American Comeback" event, which "proceeded safely and without interruption."

In the end, police arrested three people before and during the event, but the arrests did not disrupt the event itself.

Videos that have now gone viral on X showed a chaotic scene as long lines of attendees waited to get inside Zellerbach Hall, with protesters setting off smoke and paint bombs nearby.

The University of California Police Department said some members of the crowd also threw objects, including glass containers full of paint, at officers who held the perimeter around Lower Sproul Plaza during the event.

No officers were injured as a result, authorities said.

The Berkeley Police Department was not part of the on-campus security operation, but did arrest a man who reportedly fought with a vendor and took his necklace at about 5 p.m. on Bancroft Way. Videos of that incident have also gone viral.

In the hours that followed, UCPD arrested a 48-year-old man on suspicion of creating a disturbance and resisting arrest, and a 22-year-old current or former Cal student on suspicion of resisting arrest and trespassing, authorities said.

But the most questionable behavior appears to have taken place before the event started as attendees waited to get inside.

There were also conflicts between protesters and attendees after the event, but they appeared to be largely verbal in nature.

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"UC Berkeley condemns all violence and will hold accountable anyone who violates the law or campus regulations," Cal officials said in Tuesday's statement. "There is no place at UC Berkeley for attempts to use violence or intimidation to prevent lawful expression or chill free speech."

In addition to her tweet Tuesday, Dhillon also posted the DOJ's full letter to UC Berkeley on X, saying her office would now decide whether what happened Monday night at Cal should be part of an ongoing investigation or prompt a new one related to "violations of federal rights, including, without limitation, violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments."

The letter asks UC Berkeley to preserve all records related to Monday's event, including after-action reports, planning documents and footage of what transpired.

Full UC Berkeley statement about Turning Point USA event

UC Berkeley condemns all violence and will hold accountable anyone who violates the law or campus regulations. The University is firmly committed to an open and robust marketplace of ideas and to maintaining a campus where people of all beliefs and perspectives can feel safe and respected.

There is no place at UC Berkeley for attempts to use violence or intimidation to prevent lawful expression or chill free speech. The University is conducting a full investigation and intends to fully cooperate with and assist any federal investigations and the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force to identify the outside agitators responsible for attempting to disrupt last night’s TPUSA event. UC Berkeley will take all appropriate steps  to safeguard the right of every member of our community to speak and assemble freely.

Thanks to the dedication and cooperation of numerous University, state, and local police officers, the efforts to prevent last night’s event did not succeed. Instead, the TPUSA event proceeded safely and without interruption, with more than 900 participants in attendance. Several arrests were made in connection with the event by both city and university police. UC Berkeley appreciates and commends the officers and staff who helped preserve both public safety and freedom of speech on our campus. The University remains steadfast in its commitment to uphold open dialogue, respect, and the rule of law.