Cops: Cal football player punched man, kicked dog

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One of Cal's top football players was arrested for allegedly attacking a man and kicking his dog near the UC Berkeley campus, police said Friday.

Damariay Drew, a 20-year-old strong safety, confronted the victim, a fellow student, about 2:50 p.m. Tuesday during an event at a fraternity on the 2700 block of Bancroft Way, across from the UC Berkeley School of Law on the southern edge of campus, police said.

The victim, who was not identified, called police to report that "his dog had been kicked, and he had been punched several times," Berkeley police Capt. Erik Upson said. But when officers arrived on the scene, the alleged assailant was gone.

The victim suffered a broken jaw, authorities said.

An investigation led to the identification of Drew as the suspect, police said, and he was arrested Thursday on suspicion of committing felony battery with serious bodily injury and inflicting great bodily injury in the commission of a felony.

Drew was being held Friday at Berkeley City Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear Monday in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland pending a review of the case by prosecutors.

Drew's attorney, Darryl Stallworth, said his client had been attacked by the dog. "I'm asking everyone to be patient and wait for all of the evidence from both sides to be presented," he said. "There is culpability on both sides. The issue will be who provoked who and the right to defend yourself."

In a statement, Cal Athletics officials said, "We are aware of the incident involving Damariay Drew. We are tracking the case and fully cooperating with the Berkeley Police Department in its investigation. Damariay has been suspended indefinitely from the team pending further information."

Drew, a top recruit who graduated from Livermore High School in 2012 and has three years of eligibility remaining, had been expected to be a key player for Cal in the fall.

But his arrest is another setback for the football program, which has lost 20 games over the past two years and has been widely criticized for its poor academic standing.

Another member of the team, who hasn't been publicly identified, allegedly injured teammate Fabiano Hale, 18, during an incident Nov. 1 at a Cal athletic site adjacent to Memorial Stadium.

Hale had missed a mandatory workout earlier that day. The player who allegedly instigated the attack was suspended, but won't face criminal charges as long as he fulfills unspecified sanctions imposed by UC Berkeley, authorities said.