A man accused of beating a 66-year-old Sikh man to death after a minor car crash this month was motivated by “rage inflamed by hate,” the Queens district attorney said on Tuesday while announcing that the killing was now being prosecuted as a hate crime.
The man charged in the killing, Gilbert Augustin, repeatedly called the victim, Jasmer Singh, who was wearing a turban as part of his faith, “turban man” before attacking him brutally, the district attorney, Melinda Katz, said in a statement.
The killing of Mr. Singh occurred amid what New York police officials have described as a wave of reported hate crimes in the city since the war between Israel and Hamas began. Many of the attacks have been against Jews and Muslims, but others have been targeted, too.
The deadly encounter between Mr. Augustin, 30, and Mr. Singh, both Queens residents, happened just before noon on Oct. 19, after Mr. Singh’s car collided with Mr. Augustin’s on the Van Wyck Expressway, Ms. Katz said in her statement.
After the men pulled over, Mr. Augustin became argumentative, repeatedly told Mr. Singh not to call the police and referred to him as “turban man,” Ms. Katz said, citing a witness. He then grabbed Mr. Singh’s phone, according to the witness and video surveillance footage reviewed by prosecutors, Ms. Katz said.
As Mr. Singh began to return to his car, Mr. Augustin punched him three times in the head and face, knocking off his turban, according to the district attorney’s office. Mr. Singh fell backward and hit his head on the pavement, the district attorney’s office said. He sustained a brain injury and died at a hospital the next day.
Mr. Augustin drove away after hitting Mr. Singh and was taken into custody the next day, the district attorney’s office said. He was driving with a suspended license at the time, according to prosecutors.
Mr. Augustin was initially charged with manslaughter and assault. The absence of hate-crime charges prompted an outcry among Sikh residents of New York. The new charges filed against him on Tuesday included manslaughter and assault as hate crimes.
Mr. Augustin faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said. His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
Mr. Augustin is at least the second person in recent weeks to be charged with committing a hate crime against a Sikh resident.
Last week, a 26-year-old man was charged with hate crimes after he taunted and attacked a 19-year-old Sikh man on a city bus in Queens. The attacker tried to tear off the teenager’s turban after saying, “We don’t wear that in this country,” the police said.
This past weekend, members of Mr. Singh’s family met with Mayor Eric Adams and other public officials at the Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Sikh Center in Queens and urged them to do more to protect Sikhs.
Prompted by the broader increase in reported hate crimes, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday unveiled several initiatives meant to combat such crimes.
“New York has always promised to be the place where you have the freedom to be who you are, live your life, and practice your faith free from persecution,” Ms. Hochul said.