Authorities investigating hate crime incident at UCSB property
The UC Santa Barbara Police Department and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a hate crime incident involving a woman affiliated with the university that occurred on May 26 at about 3:30 p.m.
The incident happened on Phelps Road, adjacent to Storke Family Housing–considered part of the UCSB campus.
It’s unclear if the woman was a student at UCSB, but school officials said that while she walked from campus housing towards Goleta, several unknown men who perceived her to be from Pakistan yelled derogatory names to her.
Authorities said one of the men mentioned getting a gun while the others laughed. However, there were no weapons seen during the incident.
No detailed descriptions of the suspects were immediately available but police said two of the suspects were White and one possibly Hispanic.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the UC Police Department at 805-893-3446 or the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office at 805-681-4100.
The UCPD released the following safety tips:
Follow your instincts. Safety is the first priority. If you feel you are in danger, take action. Move away from the threat, cross the street, increase your pace, or run to safety. Join a group of people or enter an open business establishment. Do not delay in calling 911. UCPD strongly encourages the reporting of suspicious activity so we can intervene in potential criminal activity and apprehend suspects.
Resources:
For a list of on- and off-campus resources for those impacted by hate- or bias-motivated incidents, download the Resources for Impacted Parties of Hate- or Bias-Motivated Incidents available on judicialaffairs.sa.ucsb.edu/hate.aspx. Additional resources are provided by the Office of Equal Opportunity & Discrimination Prevention at oeosh.ucsb.edu/eodp/resources/.
UCPD encourages the community to use safety services, such as the emergency phones identified by a blue light. When walking to and from campus and Isla Vista locations, you can request an escort by calling (805) 893-2000 or by calling on the emergency phones located throughout the UCSB Campus. For more information, visit: http://www.police.ucsb.edu/cso/safety-escorts/.
