In Fresno, police are investigating an attack on a Sikh man who was stabbed Sunday night while waiting to board a plane at Fresno Yosemite International Airport: Sikh man stabbed waiting for plane at Fresno airport.According to authorities, 26-year-old Mitchell Dufur stabbed the victim, described as a Sikh man in his 50s, near the security checkpoint. Thankfully, he only suffered a minor cut and was able to board a flight bound to India.
Dufur was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a knife in an airport. But police have not yet determined why the victim was stabbed:
The man was waiting in a public area near the Transportation Security Administration terminal around 5:30 p.m. with his translator when the suspect, described as a 26-year-old white man, approached him, Fresno police Lt. Tom Rowe said. The victim thought he had been punched in the upper torso, but was actually stabbed, Rowe said.More here: Police ID man who stabbed Sikh with turban in attack at Calif. airport but no motive released. What the hell happened here?
The suspect ran from the airport but was arrested by airport police officers on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Rowe said. The victim was treated at the airport for non-life threatening injuries and declined to be taken to a hospital, instead opting to board his flight, Rowe said.
Rowe said that no words were exchanged between the two before the attack. Police are trying to determine why the victim was stabbed, but haven't determined whether it involved a hate crime.
Dufur apparently isn't talking, but the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund is urging authorities to investigate the attack as a hate crime: SALDEF Calls on Authorities to Investigate Stabbing as Hate Crime.
