Two plead guilty to attack on Sikh cabbie in US

Two men have entered guilty pleas to hate crime charges in the vicious attack on a Sikh taxi driver in Sacramento the United States late last year as the police and Federal Bureau of Investigation have launched a massive manhunt to nab the attackers of two other elderly members of the community.

Fourty-two-year-old Pedro Ramirez of Natomas on Monday pleaded to a felony assault charge at Yolo Superior Court in California and admitted that his attack on Harbhajan Singh on November 28, 2010 was a hate crime. He also admitted that he caused great bodily injury to the victim.

Another man Johnny Morales, 33, of West Sacramento, who had a lesser role in the attack, also pleaded to felony assault. The two assailants reportedly made references to Osama Bin Laden while beating and robbing Singh, a local newspaper reported.

Ramirez, who played a larger role in the attack, will be sentenced to thirteen years, while Morales, whose role was smaller, faces one year in jail.

According to a statement from the Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven, Singh was driving the defendants and their wives home from Harlow's Bar in Sacramento. During the cab drive, Ramirez shouted racial epithets and accused Singh, who had a beard and was wearing a traditional Sikh turban, of being Muslim.

Ramirez punched Singh in the face about 10 times while Morales punched him from behind, Raven stated. Singh suffered multiple cuts, a fracture to the orbital bone in his face and a spinal fracture in the attack. "Singh did nothing to provoke this vicious attack except to be from a different culture," commented District Attorney Reisig.

"Attacking someone because of their race, religion or other protected basis," Reisig said, adding that it "is not only heinous, but against the ideals we hold as Americans, and must not be tolerated."

Judge Timothy Fall, who took the pleas, is expected to sentence the two men on April 1.

Meanwhile, the West Sacramento police in California said they have launched a massive manhunt to nab the attackers of Surinder Singh, 68, and Gurmej Atwal, 78, two other members of the community-- who were shot at by unidentified miscreants last week.