The new details are in this 28 page police report and filing by the district attorney's office. It indicates that one of the students had Nazi symbols, a photo of Adolph Hitler, and a Confederate flag in the dorm room.
The hazing happened on the seventh floor of a freshman dorm -- a floor for engineering students. Suite 704 was occupied by three whites and one African American.
The campus police report says last week the victim returned to the suite and found a racial insult on a dry erase board in the common area. It was the "N" word. Prosecutors also say the three are accused of placing a bike lock around the neck of the victim and calling him the racial name "three-fifths."
When a resident manager contacted police, officers found Nazi symbols in one of the bedrooms. They also learned of pranks targeting the 17-year-old victim.
The victim, whose name has not been released, told campus police he felt safe in the suite but would stay in his bedroom most of the time.
The suite has a common living and kitchen area with four individual bedrooms and two shared bathrooms.
The police report also details pranks, such as hiding the victim's shoes.
The district attorney's office has now charged the victim's three roommates with commission of a hate crime and with battery. They are 18-year-old freshman students, Logan Beaschler of Bakersfield, Joseph Bomgardner of Clovis, and Colin Warren of Woodacre. We have confirmed that one has surrendered.
A fourth student was suspended Friday. SJSU spokeswoman Pat Lopes Harris says that student cannot be named or described because he was a juvenile at the time of the alleged incidents.
The victim's parents issued a statement, saying, "As a family, we are deeply disturbed by the horrific behaviors that have taken place against our son. Our immediate focus is his protection. We appreciate the outpouring of support from our family, community and the efforts put forth by the Black Student Union of San Jose State University. Due to the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation, we are requesting privacy."
Most students tell us the campus is diverse and inclusive. However, one student claims she was a victim of racial hazing; and even though she reported it, she didn't think anyone was disciplined.
"I don't know which one did it, but one of them put dish soap in my juice, and this was after us having meetings with the ROC and the RA's to address the situations that were going on," San Jose State student Ashley McPherson said. "And so after that the solution was to move me to a different room."
University president Mohammad Qayoumi, who denounced the incidents in a prepared statement on Thursday, issued another statement late Friday night. To read that statement in its entirety, click here.
(Bay City News contributed to this report)
