COMING INTO THE NEWSROOM AND WE
WILL UPDATE YOU AS WE GET MORE
INFORMATION.
>>> HERE AT HOME, THE NYPD
KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH ON HATE
CRIMES AS TENSIONS RUN HIGH IN
THE MIDDLE EAST.
A 19-YEAR-OLD MAN PUNCHED
REPEATEDLY ON AN MTA BUS
ALLEGEDLY BECAUSE HE WAS WEARING
A TURBAN.
NEWS 4’S MARK SANTIA IS LIVE IN
SOUTH OZONE WITH THE HATEFUL
REMARK FROM THE SUSPECT WHO IS
STILL ON THE RUN TODAY, MARK.
>> GILMA, THE TEENAGER WAS
RIDING THE BUS RIGHT AROUND HERE
YESTERDAY MORNING AROUND 9:00
WHEN POLICE SAY HE WAS TARGETED
AND ATTACKED AND THEY BELIEVE IT
WAS SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF WHAT
HE WAS WEARING.
POLICE SEARCHING FOR THIS MAN,
DETECTIVES SAY HE ATTACKEDED A
19-YEAR-OLD WEARINGING A TURBAN
ONBOARD AN MTA SHUTTLE BUS NEAR
LIBERTY AND 118th STREET.
POLICE SAY THE ATTACKER SHOUTED,
QUOTE, WE DON’T WEAR THAT IN
THIS COUNTRY AND TAKE THAT MASK
OFF.
THEN PUNCHED THE TEEN REPEATEDLY
IN THE HEAD AND TRIED TO RIP OFF
HIS TURBAN.
THE VICTIM, A MEMBER OF THE SIKH
FAITH.
>> WHY TARGET US?
JUST BECAUSE WE FOLLOW OUR FAITH
AND WE KEEP OUR ARTICLES ON OUR
HEAD, JUST BECAUSE OF THAT?
HARPREET IS WITH THE SIKH
CULTURAL SOCIETY AND HE FEARED
AN UPTICK IN HATE CRIMES EVEN
THOUGH THE SIKH COMMUNITY IS NOT
INVOLVED IN THE CONFLICT.
>> WHY YOU WANT TO GO TO EXTREME
WHERE YOU WANT TO EITHER BEAT UP
SOMEBODY AND THEN YOU ARE ALSO
IN TROUBLE.
>> WE DO NOT TOLERATE IT.
WE DON’T CONDONE IT.
>> DEPUTY COMMISSIONER MARK
STEWART SAYS THE NYPD HAS SEEN
RECENT CRIMES IN THE CITY FUELED
BY THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
HE’S ENCOURAGING THE COMMUNITY
TO COME FORWARD IF THEY WITNESS
ANY HATE-MOTIVATED CRIME.
>> WE NEED YOUR EYES AND HERES
ON THE GROUND SO WE CAN DO OUR
JOB TO HADELP YOU.
>> HARPREET STRESSES TOLERANCE.
>> WE HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO LIVE
WITH EACH OTHER AND UNDERSTAND
EACH OTHER.
>> THE MTA TELLS US THE ATTACK
ONBOARD THE BUS WAS CAPTURED ON
CAMERA ON THEIR CAMERAS, THEY
ALSO TELL US THEY’RE COOPERATING
WITH THE NYPD ON THIS