PITTSBURGH — Authorities are investigating a potential hate crime after a man attacked two Jewish University of Pittsburgh students with a glass bottle Friday night.
According to a criminal complaint, two students wearing Jewish yarmulkes were walking on campus near the school’s Cathedral of Learning when one of them made eye contact with a man sitting at a table across the street, NBC reports. The man, identified as 52-year-old Jarrett Buba, was wearing a keffiyeh, a garment commonly associated with support for Palestine, the complaint said.
Buba then allegedly ran across the street and attacked the two students from behind with a green glass sparkling water bottle. One of the victims was able to tackle Buba to the ground according to WTAE. A Pittsburgh Police officer on patrol heard people yelling for help and signaled a University of Pittsburgh patrol vehicle to assist. Buba reportedly resisted arrest but the officers were eventually able to detain and arrest him.
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Both victims suffered superficial lacerations, one on the cheek and the other on the back of the neck. The victims were treated on the scene by paramedics but one was taken to the hospital to be checked for a possible concussion. He was released several hours later.
Buba was charged with two counts of simple assault, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of harassment, and one count of resisting arrest. While in custody, officials said Buba gave several false names. He was denied bail and is being held in the Allegheny County Jail.
University of Pittsburgh Attack Investigated as Possible Hate Crime
The FBI Pittsburgh Bureau Office sent agents to the scene to investigate the incident as a possible hate crime. Police said the investigation is ongoing.
In a statement Friday night, a University of Pittsburgh spokesperson said campus officials contacted the Hillel University Center and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to offer support to students.
“While there is not believed to be any ongoing threat to the public stemming from this incident, we recognize that incidents like these are unsettling to our Pitt community,” the spokesperson wrote. “To be clear: Neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated.”
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The University of Pittsburgh Police Department said it did not believe the incident was connected to an earlier violent incident reported at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, which is located across the street from the Cathedral of Learning. Pittsburgh Public Safety said a man was shot in the leg around 5:30 p.m. and was transported in stable condition.
During a pro-Palestinian protest last spring in the area in front of the Cathedral of Learning, demonstrators called for the university to divest from Israel and its affiliates.
