Suspect arrested on suspicion of battery, alleged hate crime
Berkeley Police Department officers arrested a 55-year-old woman Tuesday for an alleged hate crime and on suspicion of battery.
At about 4 p.m., a woman in her 30s was walking on the 2500 block of Durant Avenue where she encountered the suspect “rummaging through a trash can,” according to a BPD Nixle alert. The suspect then yelled at the woman and pushed her off the curb when the woman attempted to pass by the suspect.
The alert added that during the encounter, the women fell onto her back into the roadway and the suspect allegedly yelled multiple hateful comments on people of Mexican descent.
Officers later located the suspect on the same block and arrested her on suspicion of battery, willfully threatening a person based on their perceived characteristics and violation of probation in addition to an outstanding arrest warrant.
The alert also noted that BPD highly prioritizes and recognizes the rights of all individuals that are assured under state and federal law.
“The commission of a hate crime is a serious offense, which will not be tolerated in the City of Berkeley,” the alert states.
Thao Nguyen is the city news editor. Contact her at tnguyen@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter at @tnguyen_dc.