Students at the University of California at Santa Cruz reportedly participated in an attack on the home of a researcher there who uses animals in research, according to an article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

The incident happened on Sunday, when six masked intruders banged on the door of a scientist who studies breast cancer and neurological diseases. When a family member of the researcher answered the door, he was struck by the protesters, who then fled. A witness took down the license plate of the car used by the assailants.

Police officers later raided a house where three Santa Cruz students were apparently residents, the Sentinel reported. The police confiscated computers and other materials but made no arrests.

George Blumenthal, chancellor of the university, condemned the attack, calling it a “criminal act that threatens, intimidates, and stifles academic freedom.”

Earlier this month, animal-rights extremists attacked the home of a researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles. The university last week obtained a temporary restraining order against three organizations and five individuals.

The Chronicle covered the UCLA attack here and the granting of the restraining order here. An update on this blog posting is here. —Richard Monastersky