Update: Santa Clara County Sheriff takes over hate-crime investigation into hit-and-run of Muslim student on Stanford campus
STANFORD -- Authorities on Monday confirmed that the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office would be taking over the hate crime investigation into a hit-and-run crash that injured a Muslim student on the Stanford campus last Friday.
The Redwood City office of the California Highway Patrol posted about the change on social media Monday afternoon.
"Attention media partners: the incident that occurred on Stanford Campus on November 3, 2023 is now being handled by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. Thank you," a post on the platform formerly known as Twitter read.
"Based on CHP's preliminary investigation and the determination that the incident was a hate crime, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is opening a hate crime investigation to look further into the incident," a statement released by the sheriff's office read. "At this time, the Sheriff's Office is actively investigating the incident and will release further information as this case develops. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office at (408) 808-4500."
On Friday afternoon, an Arab Muslim student at Stanford University suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the hit-and-run incident that was initially investigated by the California Highway Patrol.
Shortly before 2 p.m., the Arab student was crossing the street near the student residences at the intersection of Campus Drive at Escondido Road when he was hit by a car, authorities said. The driver sped off, allegedly after yelling an expletive at the victim.
The student was taken to an area hospital for treatment. According to a statement from the victim after the incident, the driver made eye contact with him before accelerating.
"As soon as he hit me, as my body was turning around, the driver yelled, 'F--- you and your people!' and accelerated toward me," the student said. Upon locking eyes, he identified the individual as someone who has taken to filming pro-Palestinian activists on campus, a tactic often employed to intimidate and dox students.
University police were alerted of the hit-and-run shortly after the incident, but did not issue a campus-wide alert informing the student body of the violent crime until 10:30 p.m.
A statement from Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine demanded that the university take immediate action.
"The university must deploy its resources to determine who the perpetrator was, support the survivor of this attack (and others) with specialized resources, care, and any and all resources they need at their request, and release a statement condemning the violent Islamophobic and anti-Arab hate crimes in particular and with that language that have occurred on campus," the students wrote. "At present, Stanford University is complicit in the white supremacist violence Arab and Muslim students have faced on campus. To the university administration, we say unequivocally: shame on you. Your silence is enabling violent Islamophobic and anti-Arab hate crimes on our campus and the genocide of the Palestinian people."
The incident comes after mounting criticism of the university's refusal to address an ongoing sit-in protest by student activists who demand the school denounce Israel's invasion of Gaza and provide additional support to Palestinian students. The students have been camping out in Stanford's White Plaza since Oct. 20.
According to the Department of Public Safety, "Stanford is continuing to work to provide a safe and secure campus environment in the context of heightened tensions related to the events in Israel and Gaza. This includes additional security that has been deployed at key locations on campus."
The suspect is described as a White male in his mid-20s, with short dark-blond hair, round-frame eyeglasses and a short beard.
His vehicle was described as a black Toyota 4Runner, model year 2015 or newer, with an exposed tire mounted on the back and a California license plate with the letters M and J.
