By Anna Bauman, Staff Writer | Photo: Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
UC Berkeley police were investigating a reported hate crime involving a BB gun that happened last Friday on campus near the student union, according to campus officials.
The victims told police they were walking near Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue when an unidentified perpetrator or perpetrators shot them with projectiles from what was believed to be a BB gun, according to a UC Berkeley warning message sent Tuesday to the community. The assailant reportedly yelled racial slurs at the victims during the shooting.
It was unclear whether anyone was injured. Police reported no arrests in the case as of Thursday morning.
The victims reported the incident to the UC Berkeley Police Department on Tuesday and administrators sent a campus alert about the incident that afternoon.
Campus officials described the incident as an aggravated assault hate crime, saying it was “a serious offense that will not be tolerated.”
The university did not provide further details about the incident, but the San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the reported attack, saying it stands in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, racism and other forms of bigotry.
“We are deeply disturbed by this violent, reportedly racist attack and stand in solidarity with the victims. No one should have to fear for their safety while simply walking in public,” said executive director Zahra Billoo. “Racist hate has no place in Berkeley or anywhere in our state.”
