A man has been arrested for attacking a Sikh teenager on a bus for wearing a turban in US.
The reports said a 26-year-old man has been charged with a hate crime in the US for the attacking a Sikh teenager.
The police arrested Christopher Philippeaux and charged him with a hate crime after the incident on the bus near 118th Street and Liberty Avenue in Queens last week, CBS News reported.
Christopher Philippeaux approached the 19-year-old Sikh boy on the New York City MTA bus and said, "We don't wear that in this country," referring to his turban, the police said.
He also asked the teen to take his mask off and then punched the teen in his face, back and in the back of his head, causing cuts and pain while trying to remove the turban.
He then get off the bus and ran along Liberty Avenue, the police said.
Police records also showed that Christopher Philippeaux was conditionally released by parole in July 2021 after serving more than two years in state prison for a Manhattan attempted robbery conviction, the report claimed. He has been arrested before for obstructing governmental administration, as per the records.
The Sikh teen said that 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 traumatized. The family is very scared for him," ABC News quoted community activist Japneet Singh as saying.
MTA's Acting Chief Customer Officer said, "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."
