Teen pleads guilty to hate crime for hitting Sikh-american man

NEW YORK: An American teenager accused of brutally beating an elderly Sikh man in the US and calling him a “terrorist” and “bin Laden” has pleaded guilty to one count of hate crime, a media report said.

The 17-year-old pleaded guilty on December 7 to hitting Inderjit Mukker, 53, of Darien and will be sentenced in February in juvenile court.

Mukker was assaulted on September 8 when the Willowbrook teen pulled up to his car yelling racial slurs, including, “Terrorist, go back to your country, bin Laden!”

A US citizen and father of two, Mukker was on his way to a grocery store and was repeatedly cut off by a driver.

He pulled over to the side of the road to let the driver pass, but the driver instead stopped then reached into the car and repeatedly punched Mukker in the face, making him unconscious, bleed profusely and suffer a fractured cheekbone and a laceration to his cheek.

He was rushed to the hospital, where he received six stitches, treatment for lacerations, bruising and swelling.

Harsimran Kaur, the coalition’s legal director and Mukker’s attorney, said Mukker was in the courtroom when his attacker entered his plea.

“We are pleased the defendant is accepting responsibility for the impact of his actions on Mukker and the Sikh community,” Kaur was quoted as saying by the Chicago Tribune.

“We believe it’s important to acknowledge hate when it happens. We will continue to monitor the case when it goes