A 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly punching a Sikh teenager for wearing a turban in New York and charged with a hate crime. The incident took place on a bus near 118th Street and Liberty Avenue in Queens on October 15.
The accused has been identified as Christopher Philippeaux, who was conditionally released by parole in July 2021 after serving over two years in prison. Police said that Philippeaux approached the Sikh teenager on the New York MTA bus and said, "We don't wear that in this country" referring to his turban.
The suspect asked the Sikh teen to take his mask off and punched the victim in his face, back and in the back of his head, causing cuts and pain, the police said. Philippeaux also reportedly tried to remove the turban from the victim's head before getting off the bus and fleeing along Liberty Avenue.
As per records, Philippeaux was convicted for an attempted robbery in Manhattan and was imprisoned for over two years in state prison. He also had other arrests, most recently for obstructing governmental administration in Brooklyn last month, according to police.
The Sikh teen on Wednesday said he is “shaken and angered” by the assault and that no one should be harassed because of how they look. "Right now, the victim is very traumatised. The family is very scared for him," said a media report.
Japneet Singh, an activist from the Sikh community, said that the 19-year-old Sikh boy refused treatment but was injured badly enough to be unable to work for the next few days.
"I watched the video and I was angry, I was outraged, and just moved by what happened to the victim. New York City is a melting pot and it's from my understanding that this gentleman has only been here for about a year, and this is not how we welcome people to our city," said Shanifah Rieara, MTA's Acting Chief Customer Officer.
(with PTI inputs)
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