BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) - A Bellingham man has been charged with a hate crime after an attack on an Uber driver who wears a turban and is a follower of the Sikh religion.
KOMO-TV reports Grifin L. Sayers, 22, was charged this week in Whatcom County Superior Court with malicious harassment and assault.
According to court documents, the driver on Dec. 5 took Sayers to get fast food and cigarettes and then brought him back to his apartment.
Sayers then became verbally and physically abusive toward the driver, grabbing him and choking him while making comments about the driver’s dark skin, turban and Indian descent, documents said.
The driver escaped and called 911. The driver told police he believes his race prompted the attack, records said.
Officers later found Sayers on the back porch of his apartment and arrested him, court records said. Investigators believe he had been drinking, according to records.
When asked about the incident, documents say Sayers said he rode in the Uber driver’s vehicle, but denied assaulting him. He has posted bail and is expected to appear in court Friday.
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