Homeless man arrested after attack on teen near UC Berkeley
Police say Lucas Glassy punched a UC Berkeley student multiple times in late September and stabbed a man in the hand that same night.
A homeless man is back in custody this week after striking a 19-year-old man in the head in an unprovoked attack near UC Berkeley on Friday night, authorities report.
Police say the same man recently punched a UC Berkeley student multiple times, leaving him with a bloody nose, and stabbed a man in the hand several hours later, also near the UC Berkeley campus.
As of this week, the Alameda County district attorney's office had not filed charges in any of those cases, according to court records online. It remains to be seen whether charges may still be pending.
Lucas Glassy. Berkeley Police Department
On Friday night, Berkeley police responded to a call about a 19-year-old man who had been hit from behind by a stranger at Ellsworth Street and Bancroft Way in the Southside neighborhood near UC Berkeley.
Just before 10:10 p.m., the teenager had been walking with friends, but was slightly ahead of them, when someone wielding an unknown blunt object walked up and struck him from behind, then fled the area on a bicycle, according to the Berkeley Police Department.
Officers searched the area and detained 30-year-old Lucas Glassy a few blocks away, on Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street, at 10:25 p.m.
Glassy matched the description of the assailant from Friday night's attack and witnesses ultimately identified him as the person responsible for it, BPD said.
The teenager was treated at the scene.
Police arrest a man in connection with an assault with a deadly weapon, on Telegraph Avenue, in Berkeley, California, on Friday, October 21, 2022. Photos by David Yee ©2022 #unconfirmed #scanner #berkeleycrime #crime #berkeleyafterdark pic.twitter.com/ULnElce0y5
— David Yee 余德輝 (@Yeegeefoto) October 22, 2022
A recent brush with the law
Friday night wasn't Glassy's first contact with police in Berkeley in recent weeks.
BPD had arrested Glassy in late September after a stabbing at Ellsworth Street and Bancroft Way, authorities said earlier this month in response to a Berkeley Scanner inquiry.
Police said Glassy and a man had argued just prior to the stabbing on Sept. 29 at 11:45 p.m.
Glassy had tried to stab the man in the chest, authorities said, but the victim managed to block the blow with his hand.
Police stopped Glassy about 45 minutes after the stabbing and arrested him, authorities said.
During the arrest, police said they found Glassy in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine, which was hidden in his sock.
Police said they also linked Glassy to an unprovoked attack on the Cal campus in the hours before the stabbing.
According to UCPD, the battery happened just after 9:20 p.m. on Lower Sproul Plaza on Sept. 29.
In that incident, police said a man had punched a UC Berkeley student in the face and head multiple times, leaving him with a bloody nose.
BPD arrested Glassy in the early morning hours of Sept. 30 but he was later released from jail without any new charges, according to court records reviewed by The Berkeley Scanner.
As of Monday, Glassy remained in custody at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin where he was being held on $60,000 bail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
Glassy's most recent criminal charges in Alameda County were filed in January of this year in connection with several incidents from 2021 involving allegations of felony assault, criminal threats, robbery and vandalism.
In February, Glassy was convicted of felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury; the other charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
In March, Glassy was placed on probation until March 2024, according to court records reviewed by The Berkeley Scanner.
He is now set for arraignment Wednesday in connection with Friday's attack, according to jail records online.
