Acid and other corrosive chemical attacks are increasingly frequent in gun-control UK. See:
- Acid attacks in the UK now so widespread that public need training in helping victims, warn doctors
- UK criminalizes carrying of acid and other corrosive substances
Now acid attacks have come to America as well.
On April 3, 2018, at 1:35 a.m., a female janitor of the University of California, Berkeley, found a homeless man in a restroom in Wheeler Hall. She told the man he had to leave because the building was closed.
The man followed her out of the bathroom, then “threw a caustic chemical at her,” before fleeing the scene, according to a statement by UCPD (University of California Police Department).
The Berkeley Fire Department took the woman to a local emergency room for treatment of chemical burns.
Police searched the area for the suspect but could not locate him, said UCPD spokesman Sgt. Nicolas Hernandez. Hernandez declined to say whether UCPD has leads in the case or whether there might be surveillance video that could help detectives identify the assailant, also due to the ongoing investigation. Hernandez indicated that this type of assault is not a common occurrence on campus: “I’ve heard of it in my career before but I couldn’t tell you what the numbers are.”
According to recordings of police scanner activity that morning, paramedics said the bottle of fluid used in the assault was “essentially ammonia concentrate” and that the woman received burns on her torso.
The suspect is described as a white man in his 50s, 5′ 6″ to 5′ 7″ tall, with a white “scruffy” beard and white hair. He appeared to be homeless.
Anyone who has information about the crime is asked to contact the University of California Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Bureau at 510-642-0472.
Sources: Berkeleyside; CBS SF