The UCLA Police Department said investigators are looking into a possible anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime targeting a student near campus on Christmas Eve.
The incident occurred at 6 pm while the student was walking in the 11000 block of Weyburn Avenue next to Westwood Village.
Police said a black Mercedes convertible with four people inside pulled up next to the student. Authorities said one person yelled a “homophobic slur” and another threw “wads of paper” at the pedestrian.
UCLA police did not say what the slur was and said the investigation is ongoing.
Hate crimes increased 45% last year in Los Angeles County, according to a county report released this month. The 1,350 hate crimes in 2023, the highest number since the county began counting them in 1980, were driven by an increase in crimes targeting LGBTQ+, Jewish and Black people.
In 2022, the county identified a total of 930 hate crimes. Before 2023, the highest number (1,031) was recorded in 2001. That was the year of the 9/11 attacks, after which hate crimes increased nationwide.
