The Norman Police Department announced that there was no evidence of a hate crime taking place during last week's reported fight on Campus Corner.
In a statement sent to OU Daily, NPD obtained video footage depicting “significant disagreement” with original statements made to both NPD and the media regarding the altercation that took place on Sept. 15 at the 500 block of Buchanan Avenue on Campus Corner.
According to the statement, the “reporting party, initially reported as the victim” of a hate crime was shown on video to actually be the “aggressor,” who engaged an individual in a series of mutual combat.
“Based on the investigation to date, there is no evidence or indication that a hate crime or robbery occurred,” Sarah Schettler, NPD public information officer, wrote in the statement.
According to Schettler, the altercation took place between two people over the course of a short period of time. No other people were involved and very few people were present at the scene.
Multiple media outlets identified one of the people who took part in the altercation as Harrison Hipp, a Jewish man who said he was the victim of a hate crime.
Hipp told NPD that he was stopped on the street by an individual asking to wear his cowboy hat, after Hipp denied his request he removed his hat as well as his yarmulke he wore underneath.
Hipp told multiple media outlets that he was attacked by multiple men who called him antisemitic slurs during the attack.
“Kept calling me a dirty Jew and making fun of me,” Hipp said in an interview with News9.
In a statement sent to OU Daily on Sept. 16, NPD was notified of the fight on Sept. 15 at 1:27 a.m., officers were later contacted by Hipp at 3:20 a.m. where they then went to speak to him at a local hospital. NPD verified that several of the victims' possessions were taken during the altercation.
NPD also refuted any and all claims that they did not respond to the scene.
“Officers contacted the reporting party at the hospital and interviewed him regarding the incident. Reports that NPD did not respond to the scene of the altercation or contact the reporting party in-person at the hospital are false,” NPD wrote in a statement.
According to Schettler, the case was presented to the Cleveland County District Attorney’s office and will be closed unless further evidence is provided on the matter.
“The incident was determined to be a matter of mutual combat and no criminal charges will be filed. The investigation will be closed pending further evidence being provided,” Schettler wrote.
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure. Andrew Paredes and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.
