UC Berkeley-area crimes concern students, parents

BERKELEY, Calif. - A recent number of incidents at or near UC Berkeley, including an anti-Asian hate crime and aggravated assaults, has raised concern among students and parents.

"I can't walk by myself at night," said sophomore Olivia Freidenreich, among several students who told KTVU they are at times worried about their well-being while at the same time trying to deal with the academic rigors of being a university student.

"There have been people in my dorm last year that weren't supposed to be there," Freidenreich said. "We believe it was as homeless person. They weren't dangerous, but they weren't supposed to be in the building."

On Thursday, the university held a Zoom meeting for UC Berkeley parents worried about their kids' safety on campus and at high-rise residence halls south of the campus in city jurisdiction.

Just hours after that Zoom meeting, there were two startling incidents. 

About 9:30 p.m. Thursday, a victim was attacked on Lower Sproul Plaza on campus and suffered facial injuries.

A little more than two hours later, another aggravated assault at Bancroft Way and Ellsworth Street, at the edge of campus. The victim was stabbed in the hand by a man who took off on a bike.

Just a block away, at Durant Avenue and Ellsworth earlier this month, police reported an anti-Asian hate crime, where the attacker tried to hit the victim with several rocks.

It's incidents like these that worry students and their parents.

"When I tell them that I have a meeting at night, they're like ‘Make sure you take the bus,’ "said Maddie Qualls, a first-year student.

Qualls says she does try to reassure her parents.

"Sometimes it's a little concerning just in dark areas, you know, so I like to take the night safety shuttle or the bus," Qualls said.

The university has its own police department, and campus officers often respond to incidents alongside city police officers.