The Davis Police Department and the FBI searched a home in the 2500 block of Corona Drive in North Davis for five hours on Wednesday as part of their investigation into the hate-crime vandalism that occurred at the Davis Islamic Center on Jan. 22.
Five doors and a window at the mosque were smashed, bicycle tires and seats were punctured and strips of bacon were wrapped around the center’s door handle.
Video at the Islamic Center showed the vandal in action. Police described the suspect as a white female between 25 and 35 years old, 5-foot-4 to 5-foot-8 and 160 to 180 pounds, with red or brown wavy hair. She was seen wearing beige hightop shoes, gray or blue tight-fitting pants, an off-white vest, an unknown color shirt with an unknown logo, and a black hat with an unknown logo.
The vandalism incensed the Davis community, which rose up in reaction, quickly donating more than $20,000 for repairs.
Hundreds of people turned out to Central Park five days later to show their support for the local Muslim community, where Davis Imam Ammar Shahin told them, “This is not Davis. This lady doesn’t represent Davis. She only represents herself. And we hope that we will be able to speak to her, to show her who we are, as Muslims.”
This past Sunday, more than 225 local residents crowded into the St. James Catholic Church Community Center for the 14th annual Celebration of Abraham. Residents from all manner of religious faiths gathered under one roof to share traditions and reflect on recent events.
“We come together in our faiths to find friendship, mutual respect and support,” Michael Hirsch of Congregation Bet Haverim said during the celebration.
A neighbor on Corona Drive who did not want to be identified said she was interviewed by FBI agents and at least one Davis police officer last week concerning the mosque vandalism.
The neighbor was shown a close-up photo of the woman who can be seen on video vandalizing the Davis Islamic Center.
“They had close-up photos of her at the mosque and kept telling me to look closer,” she said.
An older-model white Toyota parked in front of the home was searched by FBI agents, and later, computers were removed from the house.
Gina Swankie, public affairs specialist for the Sacramento FBI office, explained that hate crimes can be addressed locally, by the area police.
“Usually the first responders are the local police,” she said, and sometimes the FBI is asked to participate in investigations. “California has pretty strong hate crime laws,” Swankie added.
“Following the search,” Davis police Lt. Tom Waltz reported, “investigators will analyze all evidence and work with prosecutors to determine the course of the investigation. This is an active and ongoing investigation. Further details will not be released at this time.”
— Reach Tanya Perez at tperez@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8082. Follow her on Twitter at @EnterpriseTanya.