New York Attorney General Alvin Bragg has indicted a woman on hate crime charges, after she attacked her Uber driver in July of this year. According to a statement from the DA’s office, she is facing charges of Assault in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime, Assault in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime and Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree.
The accused, 23-year-old Jennifer Guilbeault, was caught on the driver’s surveillance camera pepper spraying him as she was lunging towards the front seat, grabbing him by the arm to keep him in place. The footage also shows a friend of Guilbeault, who was in the back seat with her, as she looks on in shock and tries to pull her back. The driver, Shohel Mahmud, can be seen trying to evade the attack before he manages put the car in park and exit through the driver side door. Mahmud called 911, leading to Guilbeault’s arrest.
Shohel Mahmud had picked up Guilbeault and her friend in midtown and was bringing them to the upper east side at around 12:15 am on July 31st. The attack started when the car was around the intersection of 65th Street and Lexington Avenue, as the driver began praying quietly in Arabic. The 45-year-old Mahmud and Guilbeault had not spoken during the trip prior to the assault. The surveillance video also shows the aftermath of the attack, in which Guilbeault’s friend, who has not been identified, asks her why she had done what she did. Guilbeault, who by this point had exited the vehicle, allegedly said “he’s brown.” A statement from a cop on scene backs up this version of events, as well as the court documents that cite the surveillance footage.
Mahmud suffered injuries to his shoulder, neck, and eyes, which burned for hours after the attack. “The victim is a hardworking New Yorker who should not have to face this type of hate because of his identity,” said Bragg in a press release. “Everyone is welcome to live and work in Manhattan, and our Hate Crimes Unit will continue to address bias-motivated attacks by thoroughly investigating and prosecuting cases, conducting community outreach, and supporting victims.”
