Sikh Uber driver strangled in hate crime attack

"This assault is being investigated as a bias incident."


Photo: Sikh Coalition
Last week in Washington state, an Uber passenger was arrested for strangling his Sikh American driver during a ride. The attack is reportedly being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Hate crime charges ‘pending’ after reported strangulation of Bellingham Uber driver

22-year-old Grifin Levi Sayers allegedly attacked his Uber driver -- who is Indian and wears a turban and unshorn hair in observant of his Sikh faith -- in the early morning hours of December 5 in Bellingham.

At the end of the ride, Sayers became verbally and physically abusive against the driver, making racist accusations about his appearance and Indian heritage before grabbing the driver's throat.

"Tommy deserves justice and closure."

Donate to the family of Tommy Le, who was killed by police while holding a pen.


Photo Credit: seattlepi.com
In Washington state, 20-year-old Tommy Le was shot and killed by King County Sheriff's deputies on June 13 -- the day before he was supposed to graduate from an alternative high school program. Officers were responding to a call about a man armed with what they thought was a knife. He turned out to be holding a pen.

'My baby is kind': Family tries to make sense of young man's killing by deputies in Burien

It's been over a month since the shooting, but Le's family and the local Vietnamese American community still don't have satisfactory answers about what transpired on the night he died. Last week, community members held a public forum to seek answers from the sheriff's office and other elected officials about Le's death.

Many in attendance at the forum questioned King County Sheriff John Urquhart on the details of shooting, pointing out inconsistencies in the deputies' account. Others urged for increased de-escalation training and accountability for police in cases of deadly force.

Urquhart said that the Sheriff's Office will ask the FBI to take over investigation of the shooting.

Police fatally shoot man wielding "what they thought was a knife." It was a pen.

20-year-old Tommy Le was killed by a King County Sheriff's deputy on June 14.



In Washington state, a 20-year-old student was shot and killed by police responding to reports of a man wielding a knife. He turned out to be carrying a pen. Now his family and community members want answers.

Man killed by King County deputy was carrying a pen, not a knife as initially reported

Tommy Le, who had just graduated from an alternative high school completion program at South Seattle College, was fatally shot by a King's County Sheriff's deputy on June 14.

Sheriff's deputies were reportedly summoned to a Burien neighborhood by several 911 calls about a man threatening residents with a knife or "sharp object." Deputies say they found that a homeowner had fired a "warning shot" in an attempt to scare off a man -- later identified to be Le -- who had been chasing his friend.

When Le continued to approach, the homeowner fled back inside his house. Le, who was barefoot, then pounded on the door and stabbed it, screaming he was "The Creator." Deputies say Le refused to comply with orders to drop "what they thought was a knife," and that firing tasers "had no effect." When Le moved toward officers, Deputy Cesar Molina shot him three times. He died of his injuries at the hospital.

A week after the shooting, the sheriff's office revealed that the "sharp object" in Le's hand was a pen.

Store owner sentenced to eight years for killing shoplifter

Min Kim pleaded guilty to fatally shooting Jakeel Mason in the back.


Photo Credit: KOMO
Last week in Washington state, a Korean American convenience store owner was sentenced to serve eight years in prison for shooting and killing a fleeing shoplifting suspect last year.

Spanaway convenience store owner who shot & killed thief sentenced to 8 years in prison

31-year-old Min Kim pleaded guilty earlier this year to fatally shooting Jakeel Mason after he caught Mason shoplifting at his convenience store, Pacific Quick Shop in Spanaway. Mason was trying to flee from the store when Kim shot him in the back. Kim initially claimed he shot in self-defense.

However, prosecutors say surveillance video showed that Mason, who was unarmed, put his hands up and backed away when Kim pulled a gun on him. When Kim started fighting with him, Mason broke free and ran toward the door. Kim shot him twice in the back, killing him.

92-year-old former internee receives high school diploma

72 years after internment, Mary Matsuda Gruenewald finally graduates from Vashon High School.


(Photo Credit: Aileen Imperial/KCTS 9)
Over the weekend in Washington, a 92-year-old Japanese American woman received her high school diploma -- with honors -- alongside the graduating class of Vashon High School -- 74 years after her education at the school was interrupted when her family was forced into an internment camp during World War II.

92-year-old woman receives high school diploma 74 years after internment

Mary Matsuda Gruenewald was 17, in the middle of her junior year in 1942, when her family was forcibly removed from Vashon Island and incarcerated in a dusty California concentration camp, like thousands of other innocent Japanese Americans on the west coast. She was a good student, a member of the honor society and served on the student council. But she missed the opportunity to graduate with her classmates.

On Saturday, she finally graduated from Vashon High School. Receiving a standing ovation, she was presented with her diploma, along with a copy of the 1943 yearbook and the 2017 yearbook signed by students and staff. The ceremony was streamed live on YouTube (Gruenewald is first acknowledged in the principal's remarks at the 51:46 mark, and receives her diploma at 1:48:02):

If you hear someone say "Go back to your country," a hate crime is sure to follow

Masked gunman shoots Sikh man outside his home in Washington.



Police in the Seattle area are investigating a hate crime after a masked gunman told a Sikh man to "go back to your country," before shooting him. This is not to be confused with another hate crime in Kansas, where an Indian man was shot to death in a bar after being told to "get out of my country."

Sikh man's shooting in Washington investigated as hate crime

The victim, a 39-year-old Indian man who wears a turban in observance of Sikh faith, was shot outside his home in Kent's East Hill neighborhood on Friday night. He suffered a non-life threatening injury.

According to police, the victim was working on his car in his driveway when he was approached by an unknown man, who asked something along the lines of "why are you cleaning your car?" The conversation became heated and the man threatened the victim, making statements to the effect of "Go back to your own country," before he pushed him to the ground, pulled out a gun and shot him in the arm.

Chinese restaurant receives threats after "misunderstanding" with sheriff's department

Skagit County Sheriff's Office says Lucky Teriyaki banned cops; owner says it was a misunderstanding.



Last week in Washington state, the Skagit County Sheriff's Office put a local Chinese restaurant on blast, declaring that law enforcement officers were no longer welcome at the restaurant. The sheriff's announcement, posted to social media, claims that the eatery's owner asked deputies not to eat there anymore.

But it turns out the whole thing might have been a misunderstanding due to a language barrier.

Chinese restaurant owner deluged with threats after sheriff wrongly accuses him of banning cops

On Thursday, the Skagit County Sheriff's Office's official Facebook page posted a status about an encounter that several officers reportedly had at the Lucky Teriyaki restaurant in Sedro-Woolley. The deputies claim the owner asked them to leave, saying they were no longer welcome there because they upset other customers. So of course, the most responsible course of action for a law enforcement agency in this situation: publicly blast the business on Facebook. The Sheriff's post effectively called for a public boycott of the restaurant.

"I understand a business owner has a right to refuse service if he wants to," Sheriff Will Reichardt said. "I also understand that as customers we all have the right to find some other restaurant to take our lunch break in."

Man arrested in racist attack on Indian motel manager

Brandon Kilgore called Preet Moudgil a "terrorist," threatened him with a knife and broke into his home.



"All he saw was a brown man." In Washington state, a man was arrested after calling an Indian American motel owner and his family "terrorists," threatening them with a knife and breaking into their home.

Victim in Kettle Falls assault says family was targeted for their skin color

28-year-old Brandon Kilgore is accused of coming after Preet Moudgil and his family with a knife, breaking into their apartment in a racist rampage. Later, Kilgore told a police officer, "I was trained to kill people like them."

Moudgil, who manages the Kettle Falls Inn, says that Kilgore came into the motel lobby on Saturday asking for a shower seat. He then asked Moudgil if he knew about Guantanamo Bay and made other racist comments.

Oh hell, you can probably guess where this was going.

Store clerk charged in fatal shooting of shoplifter

Min Sik Kim is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jakeel Mason.



In Washington state, a convenience store clerk has been charged with second-degree murder after fatally shooting a would-be shoplifter in the back as he attempted to flee. The clerk says it was self defense, but according to authorities, surveillance video of the shooting says otherwise.

'His actions were not lawful:' Spanaway clerk charged with second-degree murder of would-be shoplifter

30-year-old Min Sik Kim, owner of the Pacific Quick Stop in Spanaway, was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Jakeel Rashon Mason. He pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors say surveillance video of the shooting shows Kim holding Mason at gunpoint, punching him in the face, then shooting him twice in the back as he tried to run away.

According to court documents, confrontation was set off when Mason tried to steal a pack of cigarettes:

Man faces hate crime charges for vandalizing Sikh temple

Jeffrey Pittman believed The Sikh Temple of Spokane was a mosque connected to terrorism.


The temple's Sikh holy book was defaced and pages were ripped from it.
Yet again, hate and ignorance targets a Sikh community. In Spokane, Washington, a Sikh temple was vandalized by a man who mistakenly thought the temple was a mosque and was somehow affiliated with the Islamic State group terror organization. Yeah, dude. Like terrorists are hanging out in Spokane.

Spokane’s Sikh Temple vandalized, holy book desecrated

On Thursday, 44-year-old Jeffrey C. Pittman was arrested after breaking in and vandalizing the Sikh Temple of Spokane. According to temple leaders, an estimated $30,000 in damage was done to the interior of the temple, including defacement of an altar, the temple's Sikh holy book, and bedding.

Missing woman found safe after staging her disappearance

Moua Vang made it look like she had been abducted so she could leave her family.



In Washington state, a flower vendor who had been missing since Tuesday has been found safe after admitting to staging her own disappearance to look like an abduction so she could leave her family.

Police: Missing Lakewood woman found safe, admitted to staging her disappearance

Moua Vang went missing from the Lakewood Farmer's Market on Tuesday night. Her van and belongings were found in disarray, and police said the scene looked like she possibly went missing under suspicious circumstances. But it turns out that Vang staged it all to look like she had been kidnapped.

Vang apparently traveled out of town, but changed her mind about leaving and decided to come home. While boarding the flight back to Seattle, she was flagged by homeland security, which notified police in Lakewood. She was met at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport by detectives working the case.

Police suspect foul play in flower vendor's disappearance

31-year-old Moua Vang was last seen at the Lakewood Farmer's Market.



In Washington state, authorities and loved ones are asking for the public's help finding a flower vendor who has been missing since Tuesday. Police say that her disappearance is suspicious, and suspect foul play.

Police suspect 'foul play' in flower vendor's disappearance

31-year-old Moua Vang was last seen Tuesday afternoon selling flowers at the Lakewood Farmer's Market. Her family last heard from her at about 4:30pm, and police found her abandoned van in the area a few hours later.

The van's doors were left open and her belongings, including her keys and cell phone, were still inside the vehicle. Police say it looks like something might have gone wrong suddenly, perhaps as Vang was packing up her flower stand. She may have been abducted.