On 10-30-2011, at approximately 3:30 a.m., an intoxicated white male left a Café and got into a taxicab in the 400 block of Cedar Street. The man asked the cab driver, “What race are you?” When the cab driver replied that he was Indian, the suspect punched the cab driver in the face, cutting the skin above his eye.
The victim/cab driver stated that the suspect had a Swiss Army knife with him, but did not know if the suspect was armed with the knife in his hand when he attacked the him. The suspect ran from the scene shortly after attacking the victim.
Officers responded to the scene, and started an area search for the suspect. Officers located and arrested the suspect. The victim was driven by officers to the suspect’s location, and he positively identified the man as the person who assaulted him. The victim declined immediate medical attention.
The suspect was booked into the King County Jail for Felony Assault. Because of the suspect’s comments to the victim before his attack, this crime was treated as racially motivated.