CONCOURSE — Police have released a photo of the man suspected of drunkenly stealing a Sikh cab driver's turban, an incident that officials are investigating as a hate crime.
Taxi driver Harkirat Singh, 24, had gotten into an argument with one of his passengers around 5:15 a.m. on April 16 while he was dropping him off near Jerome Avenue and E. 165th Street, police said.
The suspect punched Singh in the arm, hurled ethnic slurs at him and stole his turban before fleeing down Jerome Avenue toward 164th Street, but not before Singh was able to take a photo of him with his cellphone, according to the NYPD.
Photo via NYPD
Singh was not seriously hurt during the robbery and declined medical attention, and the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident.
Officers described the suspect as a man between 20 and 30 years old who stands 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, red sneakers and a tan jacket.
Anyone with information about this robbery is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES), then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
