Update, Feb. 6, 5:40 p.m. Police said Wednesday that the victim and his partner were walking in the 2100 block of Haste when Hogue approached them and asked the victim about his sexual orientation. According to police, Hogue then stabbed the victim. It doesn’t appear that they knew each other; police described it as “a random attack.” No information was available as to the victim’s medical condition.

Update, 7:30 p.m. Police said this incident was classified as a hate crime because there was a comment or question prior to the attack that was related to sexual orientation.

Original story, Feb. 5, 2 p.m. The Berkeley Police Department has identified the man arrested in Friday’s stabbing in downtown Berkeley as Ayo Hogue.

Hogue, 33, of Oakland was arrested after a report that a man had been stabbed while walking with a friend on Haste Street near Shattuck Avenue at about 4:40 p.m. Friday.

Hogue was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide and assault with a deadly weapon. He was also arrested on suspicion of committing a hate crime, according to the Alameda County sheriff’s department. A hate crime designation carries an additional penalty of one, two or three years in state prison, at the court’s discretion.

(Berkeleyside has requested additional information from police about why this crime was classified as a hate crime.) … Continue reading »