(Seattle, WA) – The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged a man with committing a hate crime against a Sikh American cab driver. On October 17, 2012, in Federal Way, Washington, a Sikh American cab driver, was violently assaulted while driving his cab by a passenger who shouted racist slurs during the attack. SALDEF has been in contact with the Federal Way Police Department (FWPD) and obtained a copy of the police report. According to the police report, during the cab ride the attacker began questioning the cab driver about the dastaar (Sikh turban) he was wearing and making comments regarding his religion and ethnicity. The attacker then began assaulting the cab driver while also yelling racist and xenophobic slurs at him. The attacker pulled and ripped part of the cab driver’s beard off his face and caused a variety of other injuries. READ MORE HERE Witnesses who saw the attack called 911 and the attacker was arrested by the FWPD. After conducting an investigation, the FWPD recommended the attacker be charged with a hate crime, and he has since been charged by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office with malicious harassment under Washington’s hate crime statute. SALDEF applauds both the FWPD for investigating the crime and for its recommendation that the attacker be charged with a hate crime, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for bringing this charge against the attacker. “In this post-9/11 environment, Sikh Americans continue to experience high levels of bigotry and bias-motivated violence,” said SALDEF Executive Director Jasjit Singh. “It’s important to the victims of such crimes and to the Sikh community that perpetrators of hate crimes are charged accordingly and brought to justice. We thank the Federal Way Police Department and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for their diligence and the professional way they have handled this unfortunate incident and look forward to the hate crime conviction of this assailant.” As always, SALDEF urges all Sikh Americans to immediately report any incidents of harassment, bullying or assault to SALDEF and your local authorities. If you or someone you know has been a victim of any racially motivated crime, please contact SALDEF directly at 202.393.2700 or via our Report an Incident Form.
