Bellingham man suspected of choking Sikh Uber driver faces hate crime charge
The Bellingham man who allegedly attempted to strangle a Sikh American Uber driver last week while making comments about the driver’s skin color, Indian heritage and turban has been charged with a hate crime by the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office.
In addition to second-degree assault, Grifin Levi Sayers, 22, was charged with malicious harassment, according to court documents filed Monday, Dec. 9, by Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gordon Jenkins. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Whatcom County Superior Court Dec. 13.
The Sikh Coalition, in a press release Wednesday, Dec. 11, applauded the decision to charge Sayers with a hate crime. The Sikh community in Bellingham also is planning to mobilize to show support for the decision, according to the release.
“We are grateful to the Bellingham Police Department for recognizing the clear influence of bias from the beginning of this case, and to the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for reaching the right decision,” Sikh Coalition Legal Director Amrith Kaur said in the release. “Acknowledging the role of targeted hatred in acts of violence is the first step in combating further such incidents, and taking hate crimes seriously and prosecuting them with the right tools is the surest way forward to making our communities safer.”
Malicious harassment is a Class C felony, and court documents said Sayers “did intentionally and maliciously cause physical injury to another person ... because of the defendant’s perception of that person’s race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin.”
Bellingham police say Sayers attempted to strangle the Uber driver Thursday, Dec. 5, along Barkley Boulevard after the driver picked him up at his apartment, drove him to get some fast food and cigarettes and returned him home.
Sayers then became verbally and physically abusive against the driver, Lt. Claudia Murphy told The Bellingham Herald, as Sayers reportedly grabbed the front of the driver’s throat and squeezed, restricting the driver’s ability to breathe for five to 10 seconds.
While assaulting him, Sayers made “racially biased comments about the victim’s ‘dark skin,’ the fact he was from India and the turban he was wearing,” Murphy said.
The driver was able to exit the car, left it behind and phoned 911, and Murphy said officers located Sayers nearby and arrested him.
The driver, who the Sikh Coalition said requested anonymity, is recovering from the attack and retained the pro bono legal support from the coalition, the release stated.
“Hate crimes are deeply traumatic for the individual, but they also send ripple effects through the entire community,” Dr. Jasmit Singh, a Sikh community leader in the greater Seattle area, said in the release. “A hate crime against one is an act of aggression against all — and likewise, the decision to prosecute this case represents a commitment to protecting all of Washington’s Sikh residents. We are grateful for that commitment.”
According to FBI data provided by the Anti-Defamation League Pacific Northwest Region in a press release about the incident, 20% of all hate crimes in 2018 were motivated by religious bias.
“We are pleased to see the alleged perpetrator charged with a hate crime ... in Bellingham,” ADL Pacific Northwest Regional Director Miri Cypers told The Herald. “The Sikh American community is the third most targeted religious group in our nation, and we know that an act of hate targeting one member of the community sends a message to all that they are unwelcome and deeply vulnerable.
“We are in close touch with Sikh leaders to offer our support and encourage a united response to this violent act of bigotry.”
The Sikh Coalition said there are between 60,000 and 75,000 Sikhs living in Washington state and 15 gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship).
It also estimates that Washington is the third-most dangerous state in the nation for Sikhs after the coalition tracked public media accounts, law enforcement reports and private reporting of hate crimes against Sikhs since 2015, the release said.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Bellingham man suspected of choking Sikh Uber driver faces hate crime charge."
