Crime & Safety
UC Berkeley Student Suspected in Hate Crime, Battery Appeared in Court
Joseph Donner, 19, was scheduled to be arraigned yesterday afternoon.
By Bay City News—
A University of California at Berkeley student was charged today with battery with serious bodily injury for allegedly attacking another student as they were walking to a campus library late at night a week ago.
Related article: UC Berkeley Student Arrested on Suspicion of Robbery, Assault, Hate Crimes
Joseph Donner, 19, was scheduled to be arraigned on the charge at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland at 2 p.m. yesterday. UC Berkeley police said Donner and the 19-year-old male victim are acquaintances and were walking to the Moffit Library on campus shortly before midnight last Tuesday when Donner made "homophobic" statements to the victim and demanded his cellphone.
Police said that when the victim and Donner reached Campbell Hall, Donner ordered the victim to go into the construction area and then began beating him when he refused to do so.
According to police, Donner repeatedly punched, kicked and choked the victim and then fled the area by running southbound from Campbell Hall. University police said they then went to Donner's residence and arrested him.
University police arrested Donner on suspicion of a hate crime, robbery and aggravated assault but the Alameda County District Attorney's Office chose only to charge him with battery.
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