Father of Cal Poly student assaulted on campus says attackers yelled homophobic slurs
The father of a Cal Poly student who was assaulted while walking on campus Saturday morning called the incident a “targeted” and “sadistic” attack.
The victim’s father, who The Tribune is not naming to protect the identity of the student, said his son offered to walk a female student to her Poly Canyon Village apartment around 3 a.m., from the Inyo and Buena Vista buildings.
That’s when he noticed a white older model of a Toyota or Lexus Sedan circling him in the area, the father said.
The occupants of that vehicle then began shouting homophobic slurs toward his son, he said.
He said according to his son, the vehicle stopped at the intersection of Village Drive and Canyon Circle. Three men exited the vehicle and continued to shout slurs and threats.
The father said his son feared for his life and walked up a breezeway to escape. He ended up between two buildings.
The men then returned to their vehicle and drove onto Vista Caballo, where at least five suspects exited the vehicle in an area where his son couldn’t see them.
That’s when his son was ambushed and beaten, he said.
The group then allegedly punched his son in the jaw at least six times — which ended up dislocated with multiple contusions — and stomped on his son’s head, missing his temple by half an inch, the father said. His son also had lacerations on his face and a stick inside his ear that nearly punctured his eardrum after he was pushed into a bush, he added.
After the assault, the son walked to his apartment, where another student and a football player helped clean him up, the father said.
“He’s healing. The body heals, right? But sometimes we carry those emotional scars. That concerns me the most,” the father said. “Nobody should have to go through that.”
Father says assault was because group thought Cal Poly student was gay
The father believed his son was targeted by the men because they thought he was gay, which he is not.
The father, a 25-year federal law enforcement veteran, said he taught his son from a young age what types of things to look for and what police need to know if he’s ever a victim of a crime.
“I prepared him all his life, but I never once in my life thought that his initiation into that evil world would be a targeted beating over something someone believed,” the father told The Tribune. “I find it so disgusting. I find it a travesty.”
Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier told The Tribune he could not confirm any details beyond what was released in a Clery Act alert sent to students and media on Saturday.
When asked whether the attack was being investigated as a hate crime, Lazier wrote in an email, “Unfortunately, I can’t get into further detail, in order to preserve the integrity of the ongoing investigation.”
The student’s father said he hopes the suspects are caught and brought to justice. He also encouraged Cal Poly students to keep their heads up and stay aware of their surroundings.
“I always tell my kids: Head on a swivel, meaning you’re always looking, always be prepared and always have a plan,” he said. “Know where you need to go.”
Father shares son’s descriptions of suspects
According to the initial university alert, police were searching for information on six men who allegedly attacked the student.
The father of the student told The Tribune his son wasn’t sure if it was five or six assailants, but could give detailed descriptions of three of them.
The student told his father they appeared to be between 17 and 20 years old and Hispanic.
At least one was 5-foot-6 and about 170 pounds with black mid-length hair. Another was 5-foot-4, about 170 pounds, spoke both English and Spanish, had black hair with a side part and was wearing a brown jacket with a yellowish fur collar, white undershirt and dark pants. A third was 5-foot-6, 220 pounds, with dark hair, spoke both English and Spanish and wore a black baseball hat, gray shirt and blue jeans.
The vehicle the men were driving in was described as a white four-door older model Toyota or Lexus sedan with gray or alloy rims, round headlights and turn signals encased in the headlight housing and light gray leather or vinyl interior.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the Cal Poly Police Department at 805-756-2281 or email police@calpoly.edu.
Callers can also report information anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 805-549-STOP.
Tips that lead to identification and arrest of a suspect may result in a reward, Lazier said.
This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 11:32 AM.
