A 19-year-old Sikh individual was subjected to a suspected hate crime in New York as he was attacked and harmed for wearing a turban while aboard a shuttle bus, as reported by local authorities.
This distressing incident unfolded during the early hours of a Sunday as the young Sikh man was commuting on a shuttle bus within the Queens borough of New York City, as documented by CBS News.
According to law enforcement officials, the assailant confronted the victim, demanding that he remove his turban, and went on to utter derogatory remarks such as, "We don't wear that in this country and take that mask off!"
The attacker proceeded to physically assault the teenager, repeatedly striking him on his face, back, and the back of his head, resulting in minor lacerations. Additionally, he made efforts to forcibly dislodge the victim's turban from his head. The assailant then exited the bus and absconded the scene on foot, as per the report.
Law enforcement provided a description of the suspect as "a male aged 25 to 35 years, of a dark complexion, with a slim build, standing at approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, with brown eyes and black hair." Authorities have reached out to the public, seeking their assistance in identifying and locating this individual.
This incident is currently under investigation by the New York Police Department's hate crime unit, and it is being classified as an assault related to a hate crime, as reported by NBC New York TV channel.
Â
