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Tragedy at UC Berkeley
Recently, a brother of my beloved Fraternity was beaten into a coma after our annual Funk Party. He is now conscious, but still is incoherent and fades in and out of recognition. I hope you all keep him in your prayers for a speedy recovery, and if you are a UC Berkeley student and know anything about this, can help us further our cause to catching the monsters who did this to him.
Student Unconscious After Attack
By MARCUS WOHLSEN
Contributing Writer
Thursday, November 18, 2004
A UC Berkeley senior remains unconscious after being severely beaten by two attackers early Saturday morning just blocks from his Northside home.
Thomas Osseck, 23, has not woken up since the Berkeley Fire Department responded to calls from witnesses to the beating shortly after 3:30 a.m. near the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Virginia Street.
Paramedics found Osseck suffering from severe head injuries at the scene. Witnesses reported seeing him punched and kicked “multiple times” by two men who rifled through his pockets before fleeing on foot.
Osseck’s wallet was stolen in the robbery, which made it impossible for authorities to identify him initially, said friend and family spokesperson David Friedberg.
Paramedics transported Osseck to an East Bay hospital, where he remained unidentified for the rest of the weekend.
It was not until the unconscious Osseck mumbled his own name from his hospital bed Monday morning that anyone know who he was, Friedberg said.
Hospital officials contacted Osseck’s parents in Orange County immediately. They have been at his bedside ever since.
“His entire head is extremely swollen,” Friedberg said. “His eyes are swollen shut.”
Because Osseck has spoken and appears to respond slightly to verbal communication, doctors do not think he is in a coma, Friedberg said. But Osseck’s prognosis remains uncertain.
Friedberg said doctors told him Osseck could face a long recovery.
Osseck, an American studies major, had taken time off from school before returning to finish his degree.
He had been hanging out with friends on Southside on Friday night and had walked across campus toward his home, blocks from where the attack occurred.
Witnesses told police they saw two attackers, said Berkeley police Officer Joe Okies.
One is described as a 6-foot-tall black male with a heavy build wearing a white hooded jacket and dark pants.
The other is reported to be a 5-foot-9-inch black male with a medium build wearing a dark hooded jacket and dark pants.
Osseck’s friends and family are offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the attackers.
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