Skip to Content
L.A. TACO home
L.A. TACO logo
Log In
Crime

UCLA Student Shot In Face With BB Gun In Homophobic Hate Crime

The car's driver is described as a male in a black ski mask, while the passenger was only described as a male. Both are being sought by police following the attack early Sunday morning in Westwood.

11:01 AM PDT on October 31, 2023

Photo: Joonyeop Baek/Unsplash

Police are seeking help today to identify a male passenger who allegedly yelled a homophobic slur from the car he was riding in, then shot a college student in the face with a BB gun at UCLA. The car's driver is also being sought.

The victim was reportedly walking in the 200 block of De Neve Drive, near Rieber Hall, at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday when he was approached by a white four-door sedan, according to UCLA Police Department interim Chief John Thomas.   

After being fired upon, the victim was struck below the eye and sustained a minor abrasion, Thomas said. Police are calling the shooting a hate crime over the slur yelled from the car and the violent assault.

The driver is described as a male wearing a black ski mask, while the passenger was only described as a male, according to Thomas. It was unclear what motivated the shooting.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is being urged to call the UCLA Police Department at 310-825-1491 or 911.

Reporting by City News Service.

Share the taco:

Read More:

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

News

Daily Memo: While ICE Lays Low, They’re Still Active While Building Up Its Fleet, Offices, and Detention Centers

ICE activity still continues at a slower pace, but it has not disappeared. This past weekend was a rare, quiet one. What we’re seeing is that ICE is laying low, sticking to courthouses, jails, and check-ins, especially from their special ISAP unit.

March 11, 2026
News

ICE Rams Vehicle and Hospitalizes the Same U.S. Citizen Again in Ventura County

"I expect this kind of lawlessness from ICE, I don’t expect the hospitals to be complicit in that lawlessness and detain people," says Thomas Harvey, one of Leonardo Martinez's lawyers, after the hospital refused to remove his handcuffs.

March 11, 2026
Drink

One of the Best San Fernando Valley Coffee Shops Owes Its Success to Argentine Culture

Mate has been enjoyed in the region for centuries, originally by the Indigenous Guaraní people and eventually spread by Jesuit missionaries. In time, the drink became a symbol of unity and togetherness since it is a common pastime in Argentina.

March 10, 2026
Photo Essay

The Best Signs That Turned Tired Legs into Smiles at the 41st L.A. Marathon

Despite those who found street closures a nuisance, the overall consensus was that this city shows up for its people. In a time when community is most needed, supporters showed up with a level of commitment L.A. could use more of these days.

March 9, 2026
ICE

Iranian National Dies in Mississippi, Marking 17th ICE-Related Death Since December 31

Fifty-nine-year-old Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi is currently the 11th person to have died while in ICE custody this year that we know of, and the 17th ICE-related death since the killing of Keith Porter on December 31, 2025.

March 9, 2026
Investigative Report

Trump’s ‘Deportation Judges’ Take Over Has Begun: Half of L.A. Immigrants Now Miss Court and Get Deported Sight Unseen

The Trump administration fired a quarter of the nation's immigration judges and the Pentagon authorized 600 military lawyers to replace them. They’re recruiting for "deportation judges" on social media. Fewer than 3 in 100 of the people asking for asylum get to stay.

March 9, 2026
See all posts