Attempted Murder of Another UCSC Researcher

Brake lines to UCSC researcher's car cut; FBI investigating
By Jennifer Squires jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com
Posted: 05/24/2010 03:54:36 PM PDT
Updated: 05/25/2010 07:07:13 AM PDT

SANTA CRUZ — A vandal cut the brake lines on the vehicle of a UC Santa Cruz researcher late Saturday or early Sunday, and the Police Department has called in the FBI to help investigate.

About nine FBI agents were at the researcher's Westside home on Monday. Some agents peered under the sport utility vehicle to inspect the damage, while others canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses.

The researcher, who wasn't identified, called police around 11 a.m. Sunday to report vandalism to the SUV, which was parked in front of the researcher's house on the 1200 block of Laurent Street, according to Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Rick Martinez.

"It's not something we see every day. Why was this one vehicle specifically targeted?" Martinez said. "... Was this to injure the driver? Was it to send a message? Was it a threat? These are all questions we're trying to sort out right now."

In February 2008, demonstrators protesting in front of a researcher's house tried to force their way into the home and attacked the researcher's husband while the family held a child's birthday party inside. A federal grand jury indicted four animal rights activists under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act a year later. Their case is pending in U.S. District Court.

The homes of two other UCSC researcher, who also works with animals, was firebombed in August 2008. In one incident, the researcher and his family had to jump to safety. No one has been arrested in connection with the firebombing incidents. Read More

Animal rights activists have been targeting researchers for their work by trying to kill them. This is nothing less than attempted murder. When you firebomb houses and disable the brakes on vehicles in an attempt to help animals it just goes to show how mentally unstable these people are. Reasonable people don’t try murdering other innocent people to make their point. ~Troy