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Sheriff's office investigating hit-and-run of Arab Muslim student at Stanford

By Aja Seldon
Published  November 6, 2023 5:08pm PST
Stanford
KTVU FOX 2

Police: Hit and run on Stanford campus, possible hate crime

An Arab Muslim student at Stanford University was targeted by another student in what is being investigated as a hate crime.

STANFORD, Calif. - The California Highway Patrol has handed over an investigation into a hit-and-run of an Arab Muslim student at Stanford University who said the driver made a racist remark before running him down.

The Santa Clara County sheriff will lead the investigation, the CHP's Redwood City division said Monday.

Abdulwahab Omira alleges that a driver intentionally struck him with their car and made a racist comment during the incident, which occurred on Friday night.

Omira, a Syrian refugee who arrived two years ago to pursue graduate studies at the university, stated that the driver screamed,  "F--- you and your people" and had "previously shown animosity towards my community."

Stanford hit-and-run hate crime victim identified

New details are surfacing on the Stanford student who claims he was the victim of a hate crime because of his Arab heritage and Islamic faith.

The university confirmed the driver was seen speeding up before running into Omira, making eye contact with him, and shouting threatening words at him and his people.

Omira, who is Muslim, sustained injuries in the crash and remained hospitalized as of Saturday.

He described the suspect as a white man in his mid-20s with short blond hair, a beard, and glasses. The suspect was operating a black Toyota 4Runner SUV.

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