Woman accused of numerous hate crimes

Prosecutors have charged 23-year-old Jennifer Guilbeault with pepper spraying an Uber driver during an anti-Muslim attack in New York.

A woman has been charged with several counts, including second- and third-degree assault that are considered hate crimes, for pepper-spraying a 45-year-old Uber driver in an unprovoked attack in New York earlier this year, prosecutors said.

Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, was charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with second-degree assault as a hate crime, third-degree assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment in the second degree, according to the Manhattan District Attorney. Office. Prosecutors accused Guilbeault of pepper-spraying an Uber driver during an anti-Muslim attack on the Upper East Side in July.

According to the district attorney’s office, the incident occurred on July 31 around 12:15 p.m. The driver was in the process of making a pass for Guilbeault and another passenger who was sitting in the back of the vehicle.

The district attorney’s office said the driver began praying in Arabic after stopping at a red light at an intersection. At that point, prosecutors said Guilbeault “rushed forward toward the driver’s seat while holding a can of pepper spray” and sprayed the driver in the face.

According to the district attorney’s office, the driver experienced burning, redness and pain from the pepper spray and called 911 minutes after the attack. Guilbeault was arrested at the scene.

New York City Television Station, WPIX, reported in August that Guilbeault was indicted on charges of assault and assault as a hate crime, but denied that the attack was racially motivated.

“As alleged, Jennifer Guilbeault senselessly attacked a Muslim Uber driver while he was doing his job,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement Monday. “The victim is a hard-working New Yorker who should not face this type of hatred because of his identity. Anyone can live and work in Manhattan.”

Pepper spray attack caught on camera

The Uber driver, identified as Shohel Mahmud By several mediahe said CBS New York and WPIX in August that he believed the incident was racially motivated and that he worked fewer hours after the attack out of fear for his safety.

Dash camera footage obtained by local television stations shows Guilbeault lunging forward and pepper-spraying Mahmoud in the eyes. Guilbeault then grabs Mahmoud’s arm and pulls him backwards as he tries to push her away.

We see Mahmud unbuckle his seatbelt and jump out of the car, but he immediately returns as the vehicle moves. He then parks the car while the other passenger pulls Guilbeault back.

When the other passenger asked Guilbeault why she attacked the driver, Guilbeault allegedly replied, “he’s brown,” according to the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY).

The country’s largest Muslim civil rights organization condemns the incident

CAIR-NY, an affiliate of the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the U.S., said in a statement Tuesday that it “welcomed” the indictment of Guilbeault.

“We welcome the hate crime allegations in this case and thank law enforcement for sending a clear message that those allegedly carrying out bias-motivated attacks will face consequences,” CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher said in a statement.

Nasher noted the recent increase in anti-Muslim incidents across the country. According to CAIR, the organization documented 4,951 bias complaints nationwide between January and June this year, a 69% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

Earlier this year, CAIR reported that the organization had received “the highest number of complaints it has ever received in its 30-year history,” with 8,061 complaints documented in 2023. Almost half of these complaints were reported in the last three months, after escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza in October 2023.