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Man Arrested For Hate Crime Against Columbia Professor
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 20, 2014
Modified Apr 20, 2014
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 20, 2014
Modified Apr 20, 2014
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Police have arrested a man they say participated in a hate crime against a Columbia professor in Harlem last September. Christian Morales, 20, has been charged with second degree aggravated harassment for being part of the group of young men who kicked and beat Dr. Prabhjot Singh as he walked on West 110th Street near Lenox Avenue.
The incident occurred on September 21st at around 8:15 p.m., when roughly a dozen teenagers approached Singh, shouting things like, "Get Osama!" and "Terrorists." They punched him in the face, yanked his beard, and kicked him repeatedly from their bicycles. Eventually a bystander came to Singh's aid to help him ward off his attackers. Police later released video footage of the suspects.
Singh, an an assistant professor at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs who also practices medicine in Harlem, suffered a fractured jaw and bruising. Singh would later invite his attackers to pray with him.
An NYPD spokesman did not have any information on how Morales, a Harlem resident, came to be arrested.
Tagged
columbia
Dr. Prabhjot Singh
harlem
hate crime
Sikhs
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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