Salem, January 20: The 24-year-old Oregon man has been charged with a hate crime, and assault charges by the local court for allegedly attacking a Sikh Man, who was working at a convenience store in the US State of Oregon. The survivor Harwinder Singh Dodd was brutally assaulted by Andrew Ramsey who pulled his beard and thrashed him. Hate Crime Against Sikh Man in US: California City Police Chief's Son Charged and Arrested After Video of Assault Goes Viral.

FOX 12 TV news reported, citing a court document, that Ramsey racially targeted Dodd because of his knowledge of the employee’s religion. According to the report, "Ramsey wanted rolling papers for cigarettes but did not have an ID and the clerk would not sell them to him," said Justin Brecht, a legislative policy adviser in the Oregon State Capitol. My Turban Really Saved Me: 50-Year-Old Sikh Man Attacked in US Hate Crime.

When Dodd denied Ramsey to give rolling papers, he attacked him by punching him in the face and pulling his beard until the police arrived and held Ramsey down. “He was bleeding, he had gotten punched quite a bit in the face, and kicked on the ground and thrown to the ground very brutally. It was very serious," said police.

Ramsey has been booked under charges of hate crimes, police said, adding that he also tried to steal Dodd's head covering. He has also been charged for assault, criminal trespass, and disorderly conduct.

According to experts, hate crimes in the United States against the Sikhs have been on a rise since the past decade. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, hate crimes increased by more than 40 per cent from 2016 to 2017 in Oregon.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 20, 2019 04:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).