UCLA students called slurs, hit with water bottle in suspected hate crime

UCLA police are investigating a possible hate crime and battery that happened off of the university campus early Saturday morning.

Around 12:45 a.m., five university students were sitting on a bus bench outside a Chick-fil-A on the 900 block of Westwood Boulevard when a dark-colored SUV drove by.

The driver allegedly shouted an ethnic slur, and the front passenger threw an open water bottle, hitting one of the victims, police said in a news release.

No injuries were reported.

The suspects were described as three men in their 20s — the driver was a white male with blonde hair, while the front and rear passengers were described as either white or Asian.

“This incident is currently under investigation,” the UCLA Police Department said in a statement. The department is urging anyone with information to come forward as they work to gather additional details.

The campus police department also reminded the community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.