57-year-old Sikh man Baljeet Singh Sidhu who works as a taxi driver was attacked in Richmond that left him with bumps, cuts, and bruises after the incident at Hilltop Mall
Baljeet Singh, a part-time USPS mail carrier and taxi driver in Richmond, California, was returning home after a night shift when he was brutally assaulted by a young man in the early hours of the morning on December 15, 2019.
UNITED SIKHS coordinator and analyst Asees Kaur reached the spot early afternoon as soon as the information reached our legal department through our advisor S. Harpreet Singh Sandhu. Singh is a Sikh who dons a dastaar (turban) and a full beard.
The family has retained UNITED SIKHS to pursue the case so that justice is served. Singh has filed a police report; the suspect is still on the loose. Singh is traumatized, has lost a lot of blood and is in pain. Singh is worried about his 2 young daughters that go to school early in the morning and come home late in the evening.
UNITED SIKHS has reached out to the Community Relations Service (US DOJ -CRS) and to the civil rights division in Washington DC and are working closely with the police and other local authorities. UNITED SIKHS urges law enforcement agencies to ensure a thorough investigation to determine if this is a hate crime.
Singh was trying to find a parking spot while driving when the suspect knocked on his car window asking for a cigarette lighter.
Singh replied that he did not have one and drove away looking for a spot to park his car. Unable to find a spot, he ended up at the same spot as before where the suspect came back to Singh and requested a ride. Singh found the guy to be suspicious and denied his request saying that his shift had ended.
Singh finally found a parking spot and while getting out of the car saw the suspect running towards him. He tried to hurry back inside his car to protect himself, but the suspect was already there and attacked him with a large barbecue pan.
With a bloodied face by the blows, Singh’s turban came off. The young perpetrator kept on pounding and held Mr. Singh in a choke lock. On seeing a security car across the street, Mr. Singh reached out for help by shouting.
The security personnel reached out to help Singh, tried to stop the attacker and called 911. The perpetrator ran away leaving his hoodie as Mr. Singh had a good grip on it. Mr. Singh was taken to the hospital and treated for assault.