BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) - A Bellingham man pleaded not guilty Friday to a hate crime after the assault of a Sikh-American Uber driver.
The Bellingham Herald reports 22-year-old Grifin Sayers entered the plea in Whatcom County Superior Court to charges of malicious harassment and assault.
Court documents say on Dec. 5 the driver took Sayers to get fast food and cigarettes then brought him back to his apartment. Documents say Sayers then grabbed and choked the driver while making comments about the driver’s dark skin and Indian descent. 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.
Sayers was released from Whatcom County Jail Dec. 6 on $13,000 bail, according to court records.
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