Sacramento cab driver Harbhajan Singh is recovering from severe injuries he received at the hands of two men he drove into West Sacramento early this morning.
56-year-old Singh believes the men intended to kill him, but he was able to get away.
In a press release, West Sacramento Police say "two of the subjects began assaulting the victim and demanded money." But Singh says that his money wasn't what provoked the attack. He says it was his turban.
"After he gets the money," Singh said of one of his attackers, "he's still fighting. He says 'I'll kill you.' I say, 'I'm not Muslim. Please.'"
Singh has several stitches on his head and other parts of his body, bone chips in his nose, and bruising along his rib cage.
He says he picked-up the near fatal fare at Harlow’s in Midtown Sacramento Sunday morning. He says there were two men and two women. They first told him they were headed toward Broadway in Sacramento, but later had him drive into a dark West Sacramento neighborhood.
That's when, according to Singh, the two men exploded into violence. One shouted expletives and called him Osama Bin Laden.
Singh wears a turban because he is Sikh.
"It's part of the religion," said Resham Singh, a coworker of Harbhajan's. "So we don't know how to show the community we are different people. We are nice people. We are not joined with bad people."
During the violent beating, one of the female passengers put her body between Singh and his attackers.
"She was very nice. She said 'why you fight him? You'll go to jail.' But he did not listen," Harbhajan Singh said.
Still, Singh was able to use the distraction to get away.
"God help me, I put the car into drive from park... and raced away," Singh said.
He wound-up in a West Sacramento apartment complex where, still bleeding and with one eye swollen shut, he banged on doors until he found someone to call 9-1-1.
Singh was taken to the hospital. His attackers, and the woman who defended him, disappeared.
See video at this link
http://www.fox40.com/ktxl-robbery-or-hate-crime-sacramen-112810,0,4842888.story
56-year-old Singh believes the men intended to kill him, but he was able to get away.
In a press release, West Sacramento Police say "two of the subjects began assaulting the victim and demanded money." But Singh says that his money wasn't what provoked the attack. He says it was his turban.
"After he gets the money," Singh said of one of his attackers, "he's still fighting. He says 'I'll kill you.' I say, 'I'm not Muslim. Please.'"
Singh has several stitches on his head and other parts of his body, bone chips in his nose, and bruising along his rib cage.
He says he picked-up the near fatal fare at Harlow’s in Midtown Sacramento Sunday morning. He says there were two men and two women. They first told him they were headed toward Broadway in Sacramento, but later had him drive into a dark West Sacramento neighborhood.
That's when, according to Singh, the two men exploded into violence. One shouted expletives and called him Osama Bin Laden.
Singh wears a turban because he is Sikh.
"It's part of the religion," said Resham Singh, a coworker of Harbhajan's. "So we don't know how to show the community we are different people. We are nice people. We are not joined with bad people."
During the violent beating, one of the female passengers put her body between Singh and his attackers.
"She was very nice. She said 'why you fight him? You'll go to jail.' But he did not listen," Harbhajan Singh said.
Still, Singh was able to use the distraction to get away.
"God help me, I put the car into drive from park... and raced away," Singh said.
He wound-up in a West Sacramento apartment complex where, still bleeding and with one eye swollen shut, he banged on doors until he found someone to call 9-1-1.
Singh was taken to the hospital. His attackers, and the woman who defended him, disappeared.
See video at this link
http://www.fox40.com/ktxl-robbery-or-hate-crime-sacramen-112810,0,4842888.story
