Silicon Valley, April 21 (PTI): An American who attacked a Sikh taxi driver and called him an “Iraqi terrorist” has been given a lighter sentence of nine months in jail after the victim told a court he had forgiven him.
Judge Monica Benton also handed 21-year-old Luis Vazquez 240 hours of community service for the drunken assault on Sukhvir Singh in King county, Washington, on November 24.
Deputy prosecutor Mike Hogan had asked for a two-year jail term, though he pointed out that Singh, from India, “has been forgiving of the attack from the beginning”.
Benton said that while racism is pernicious and hate crimes undermine society, forgiveness and remorse play a role in justice as well, Seattle Times reported.
Vazquez pleaded guilty last month to reckless endangerment, second-degree assault and malicious harassment.
He told the court he did not remember the drunken assault but was ashamed and shocked when he woke up in jail and learned what he had done.
“I’m really, really sorry for what I put you through,” Vazquez told Singh during the hearing attended by many members of the Sikh community. “I’m sorry for making you look back over your shoulder when you walk.”
A drunk Vazquez was thrown out of a football game and put into Singh’s cab. While Singh was driving, Vazquez punched him, bit him and called him “Iraqi terrorist”.
Singh pulled to the side of the freeway and told police that he was afraid for his life and that of others on the road.
Through a Punjabi interpreter, Singh said he and other members of his community wanted to offer forgiveness to Vazquez once they learned that he had no previous record of criminal offences and had a history of steady work.
Singh said he did not want to see the young man’s life ruined. “If someone has made a mistake, they should learn from it. They should be punished accordingly, and it should be known to society that it is not good to have hate towards any human being.”
Vazquez said after the hearing that he was grateful for Singh’s forgiveness and that he had learned his lesson.
