California Highway Patrol is investigating a Friday hit-and-run on the Stanford campus as a hate crime, after a driver in an SUV hit and injured an Arab Muslim student while yelling “F--- you and your people.”
The collision happened shortly before 2 p.m. at Campus Drive and Ayrshire Farm Lane, according to the university.
The student, Abdulwahab Omira, put out a statement shared with NBC Bay Area Saturday, in which he said he was on his way to class when he was hit. The university said the driver reportedly made eye contact with the student before accelerating to hit him, then driving away and yelling out an open back window.
Omira described the driver as “an individual who had previously shown animosity towards my community.” The university has not commented on that assertion, but did describe the driver as a man in his mid-20s with short, dirty-blond hair, a short beard and who was wearing round frame eyeglasses during the hit-and-run.
Omira was then taken to the hospital for his injuries, where he said he is still being treated Saturday.
Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez sent out a campus-wide message after the hit-and-run Friday, saying they were “profoundly disturbed to hear this report of potentially hate-based physical violence on our campus.”
They then went on to condemn the incident, and said they were working with law enforcement and that more information would be shared as it became available.
Omira criticized the response in his statement, saying it “came six hours later, and the subsequent communication downplayed the severity of the incident, referring to it as a ‘potential hate crime.’”
He then went on to share the psychological effect of the hit-and run: “The physical wounds will heal with time, but the emotional scars—the feeling of being targeted solely because of my physical appearance, heritage, and beliefs—are likely to linger. … It’s a stark reminder of the narrowing chasm of compassion and understanding in the world we share.”
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Omira closed out his statement by writing: “Today, as I share my story, my hope is to ignite a spark of empathy, a desire for change, and a call to action … Let us endeavor to be the bearers of love and compassion, to build bridges of understanding, and to create a legacy of empathy for the generations to follow.”
Stanford said the CHP is investigating the incident and is asking anyone with information to reach out to it at 650-779-2700.
