(BERKELEY, Calif.) Berkeley police arrested a suspect after he allegedly hit a man with a guitar while making anti-LBGTQ comments, according to a report issued by the Berkeley Police Department.
The attack happened on the morning of July 8 when the 51-year-old victim was sleeping at his encampment located on Shattuck Avenue and Blake Street.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Matthew Harris, approached him and used the victim’s guitar to strike him in the face, repeatedly kicked and punched him, all while making disparaging comments against the LGBTQ community.
Police used the suspect descriptions provided by witnesses and located the man on July 9 in the 2500 block of Haste Street and took him into custody.
The suspect was charged by the Alameda County District Attorney on July 12 with assault with a deadly weapon, an enhanced allegation of causing serious bodily injury and making criminal threats and willfully making threats towards a person based on their perceived characteristics.
“The commission of a hate crime is a serious offense, which will not be tolerated in the City of Berkeley,” the statement read.
A full list of resources for information on hate crimes and how to report them can be found here.