Sikh man in Queens beaten to death after minor car accident

A Sikh man from Queens, New York, was beaten to death after a minor car accident on Thursday.

According to CBS News, 68-year-old Jasmer Singh was driving his wife home from a doctor’s appointment on Van Wyck Expressway. Police say Singh bumped his car into another vehicle.

Singh tried to call 911 but, according to the New York Daily News, the other driver objected and took Singh’s phone. After a brief argument, Singh took his phone back and headed towards his car.

The driver then allegedly lunged toward Singh, punching him repeatedly. The attack left the older man seriously injured. He succumbed to his injuries one day later, CBS News reports.

Investigators told CBS News that the suspect is facing several charges but hate crime charges are not included.

“What made this man attack my father so brutally?” the 45-year-old son of victim Jasmer Singh told The New York Daily News. “Because of his appearance. It’s because he looks different … He wears turban all the time.”

In an interview with CBS News, Singh’s son said he wants the assault to be treated as a hate crime.

“The guy was addressing my father with his costumes, with his turbans,” he said. “There was no reason for someone to go in that intensity. My father was targeted and it is a possible hate crime.”

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