Authorities in Santa Clara County, California, launched a sketch Thursday of a suspect sought in reference to an alleged hit-and-run hate crime that occurred at Stanford College final week.
An Arab Muslim scholar at Stanford College was struck by an SUV on campus final Friday as he crossed an intersection, authorities stated. The unidentified driver yelled “f— you and your folks” on the sufferer as he fled the scene, in keeping with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Workplace.
“The sufferer believed he was focused by the suspect due to the shirt that he wore,” the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Workplace stated in a press release Thursday, noting that the shirt had the phrase “Damascus” written in Arabic.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Workplace opened a hate crime investigation into the incident. On Thursday, it launched a sketch of the suspected driver based mostly on an outline supplied by the sufferer. The suspect was described as an unshaven white man in his mid-20s carrying a grey high and prescription glasses, authorities stated.
The suspect’s automobile was described as a black Toyota SUV with a tire mounted on the rear of the automobile, authorities stated.
“The Toyota SUV ought to have entrance passenger aspect bumper harm from the collision,” the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Workplace stated Thursday.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Workplace launched this sketch of a suspect sought in reference to an alleged hate crime that occurred at Stanford College on Nov. 3, 2023.
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Workplace
The sufferer sustained non-life-threatening accidents within the incident, authorities beforehand stated.
The coed, Abdul Omira, stated the motive force “made eye contact with him” and accelerated earlier than putting him, in keeping with a Thursday information launch from Stanford’s Division of Public Security.
“I by no means imagined turning into the sufferer of a hate-driven assault,” Omira beforehand stated in a press release. “His hateful screams … nonetheless echo in my ears.”
Omira instructed ABC Information by cellphone on Monday whereas recovering within the hospital that he acknowledged the suspect from a pro-Palestine sit-in on campus final month.
Within the wake of the incident, Stanford police stated final week that safety had been upped at places on campus and the college is “persevering with to work to supply a protected and safe campus atmosphere within the context of heightened tensions associated to the occasions in Israel and Gaza.”
“We’re profoundly disturbed to listen to this report of probably hate-based bodily violence on our campus,” Stanford College President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez stated in a letter to the group on Friday. “Violence on our campus is unacceptable. Hate-based violence is morally reprehensible, and we condemn it within the strongest phrases. We wish to specific our deep concern for the coed who was injured, and for all affected by this incident.”
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Workplace requested anybody who witnessed the incident or with info to name 408-808-4500.
ABC Information’ Jennifer Watts, Alex Stone, Lisa Sivertsen, Emily Shapiro, Religion Abubey and Annie Pong contributed to this report.
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