“Attacks on innocent individuals are always inexcusable, but the use of racial, ethnic and religious slurs are especially heinous and have no place in our society,” said SALDEF Associate Executive Director Jasjit Singh. “We call upon the West Sacramento Police Department and the FBI to ensure a thorough investigation is conducted and that hate crimes charges are brought against any culprits that are found.”

— The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) is also calling for the investigation of the attack on cab driver Harbhajan Singh as a hate crime.