The driver told the police that Sayers took the cab to make some purchases and then returned to the pick-up location. It was at this point that the passenger became abusive and grabbed the driver by his throat and squeezed it violently. He also made racial comments about the driver's ethnicity. The driver somehow managed to get out of the cab and made a 911 call. When the police arrived, they were able to locate Sayers nearby and arrested him.
Hate crimes against Sikhs in the US have always been on the radar for civil rights and minority groups, The American Bazaar said. A report released just last month, identified Sikhs as the third largest most targeted groups in the country after Jews and Muslims. Anti-Sikh hate crimes rose by a whopping 200 per cent since 2017, according to an FBI report.
Even as Sikh groups and minority organizations continue to make attempts to educate Americans on Sikhism and the tenets of its faith, Sikhs are often mistakenly targeted because of their turbans.