Police call beating of Harvard student a ‘hate crime’

In what they are calling a “hate crime,” Cambridge Police are looking for two men who assaulted a Harvard undergraduate on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

The assault occurred at approximately 8:35 p.m. in the rear of St. Paul’s Church at 27 Mt. Auburn St. According to police, the student was leaving a prayer meeting when he was approached by two individuals who punched and kicked him and then threw him down a flight of stairs. The student was treated at Cambridge City Hospital for lacerations.

Police said both suspects were described as white males, 17-23 years old, 6 feet tall and 160 pounds, with shaved heads.

The two men are believed to belong to a group of youths and young adults known to hang around the Harvard Square MBTA Kiosk or “Pit.”

Cambridge Police are also investigating an incident in the Pit on Sunday morning, Sept. 17. In that incident, a large group made homophobic statements to two people who were passing by. One suspect picked up a metal can and threw it at one of the passers-by, striking him in the head.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is urged to contact Detective Steve Lyons at the Cambridge Police Department, (617) 349-3368.