Police Charge Three NC Teens With Assault of Sikh Man

April 2, 2004

Source: The Herald-Sun

http://www.heraldsun.com/orange/10-466062.html

On April 2, 2004 The Herald-Sun reported, "A Sikh student at UNC claims he and his friend were beaten by a trio of teenagers on Franklin Street after one of them called him Osama bin Laden. Chapel Hill police charged each of the teens with assault inflicting serious injury and simple assault after the student identified them shortly after the assault Sunday morning. Although police categorized the assault as a hate crime, they did not charge the teens with ethnic intimidation -- the state statute that covers hate crimes. Chapel Hill Police Chief Gregg Jarvies said the charge of ethnic intimidation was not filed because it was not clear whether the assault occurred because of the victim's race, clothing or religion. The charge of ethnic intimidation would have to be provable, Jarvies said. 'You may believe one thing, but we can't prove it,' he said."