A man who attacked an elderly Sikh person during a car
accident in New York, repeatedly calling him “turban man” and fatally beating
him has been charged with manslaughter and assault as hate crimes, prosecutors
said.
Gilbert Augustin was arraigned on Tuesday on an
indictment charging him with manslaughter and assault as hate crimes in the
death of 66-year-old Jasmer Singh, whom he attacked after a fender bender in
Kew Gardens in the neighbourhood of Queens, District Attorney Melinda Katz
said.
During the dispute that preceded the fatal beating,
Augustin is accused of repeatedly referring to Jasmer Singh as a “turban man”.
“This is a case of a fender bender immediately
escalating to hateful language and then brutal, deadly violence. We will show
in court that it was a rage inflamed by hate that led to this senseless
tragedy. The defendant will have to answer to some very serious charges,” Katz
said.
Augustin faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder ordered him to return to court on
December 6.
The October 19 attack on Singh, which led to his
death, came just days after a 19-year-old Sikh boy was attacked by Christopher
Philippeaux, 26, while he was riding the bus in Richmond Hill.
Philippeaux punched the Sikh teenager in the back of
the head, tried to knock off his turban and told him, “We don’t wear that in
this country.” Philippeaux has been charged with assault as a hate crime and
aggravated harassment.
As the Sikh community raised concerns over the recent
incidents of hate crime and assault, New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed to
protect members of the community and gave a clarion call for educating people
about Sikhism.
On Sunday, Adams and New York State Assemblywoman
Jenifer Rajkumar met and addressed members of the Sikh community at the Baba
Makhan Shah Lubana Sikh Centre in the Queens neighbourhood of South Richmond
Hill.
“You are not about terror, you are about protector.
That is what needs to be taught throughout this entire city. Our young people
need to know that, our adults need to know that,” Adams had said.
Describing Sikhs as “protectors” of society, Rajkumar
asserted that the hateful targeting of Sikhs is “not acceptable” and
perpetrators of such violence will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law.
“For the first time, we are going to use the levers of
government to end hate crimes against Sikh Americans. For the first time, we
are going to come together and…educate… New York State, United States and the
entire world about who the Sikh people truly are so we are not attacked and
misunderstood,” Rajkumar, the first Indian-American woman elected to New York
State Office and who described herself as a “daughter of Punjab”, said.
Rajkumar had said this was not the first time she had
visited the Gurudwara and had spoken out against hate crimes.
“But it is the last time I want to be standing here
speaking out against hate crimes. Starting now we are going to end the hateful
targeting of Sikhs,” she said.
Singh’s son Subeg Singh Multani, an immigration
attorney, who was also present at the event on Sunday, had said that the attack
on his father should be pursued as a hate crime.
Multani, who became emotional and choked up as he
addressed the gathering, said his father came from Bharat to US in the early
1990s with the American dream in his eyes. “We didn’t know that the dream would
be shattered the way it has shattered” on October 19 in this “great” and
diverse city of New York.
Multani had called on members of the community to join
him in court for Augustin’s arraignment. “We will show the solidarity and unity”
to the judge. “We can show them this is a hate crime. This case must be pursued
as a hate crime,” he had said.
According to the charges in the case, late morning on
October 19, Singh was driving a vehicle that collided with Augustin’s car.
Immediately following the collision, Singh and Augustin pulled over to assess
the damage.
A witness observed Augustin get out of his car and
approach Singh, who remained seated in his vehicle and engaged in a verbal
dispute with the victim.
During the dispute, the witness heard Augustin say to
Singh, “No police, no police.” The witness also heard Augustin repeatedly refer
to Singh as a “Turban man.” While arguing angrily with Singh, Augustin told the
victim that he was not going to allow him to go home and did not want him to
call the police.
According to witness testimony and video surveillance,
Augustin reached into Singh’s car and grabbed Singh’s cell phone. Singh got out
of his car and followed Augustin, who appeared to be holding two phones. The
pair appeared to argue. Singh eventually recovered his phone, prosecutors said
in a statement.
As Singh was walking back to his car, Augustin punched
him three times in the head and face. One of the punches caused Singh’s turban
to come flying off his head.
As a result of the blows, Singh fell backwards to the
ground, the back of his head hitting the pavement. Singh suffered a brain
injury and was taken to a hospital. He died the next day.
Prosecutors said that after striking Singh, Augustin
got into his car and drove away. The day after the assault, a New York Police
Department officer saw Augustin sitting in his car in Jamaica.
Augustin was unable to produce a valid driver’s
license or insurance. A review of motor vehicle records showed his driver’s
license was suspended. He was taken into custody.
Augustin, 30, of 111th Avenue in Jamaica, was charged
in a 20-count indictment. The charges include manslaughter in the first degree
as a hate crime; assault in the second degree as a hate crime; two counts of
operating or driving a motor vehicle without a license; leaving the scene of an
incident without reporting and reckless driving.
PTI
