California Man Charged With Hate Crime for Assaulting Sikh 7-Eleven Clerk Thinking He Was Muslim
By Carl Samson
A man who claims to hate Muslims is facing multiple charges after punching and throwing a hot cup of coffee at a Sikh clerk of a 7-Eleven store in Marysville, California on Saturday.
The suspect, identified as John Crain, reportedly tried to leave the store without paying, triggering a confrontation.
In the security footage, Crain is seen tossing a drink at the male Sikh clerk before punching him in the face and fleeing the premises.
The clerk suffered burn injuries as the drink turned out to be hot coffee, which Crain had prepared to take out for free.
Additionally, the clerk sustained a contusion on his face after receiving punches from the suspect.
Marysville police apprehended Crain after responding to another assault in the area later that day.
Crain, who admitted to assaulting the clerk, said that he did it because he hated Muslims — despite the fact that the clerk was actually Sikh, as confirmed by CBS Sacramento.
“We condemn this attack on an individual because of his faith. This hate crime represents yet another attack on our Sikh brothers and sisters fueled by Islamophobia and those emboldened by this administration’s xenophobic policies and sentiments,” said Saad Sweilem, a civil rights attorney at the local Council on American-Islamic Relations, according to the Sacramento Bee.
“We welcome the hate crime charges and encourage law enforcement to continue to take these clear incidents of bias seriously.”
Crain is currently held at Yuba County Jail on theft, assault and hate crime charges.
Images via Marysville Police Department, California
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