Jennifer Guilbeault, who allegedly attacked a Muslim Uber driver, Shohel Mahmud, “without provocation” after he began quietly praying in Arabic at a traffic light, was indicted on hate crime charges but pleaded not guilty in Manhattan’s State Supreme Court.
According to The New York Times, Mahmud had arrived around midnight on July 31 to pick up two young women who had requested an Uber. After the two women entered his car on Manhattan’s West Side, he confirmed that one of them was Jennifer Guilbeault, the ride’s requester, before heading toward the East Side destinations they had selected.
Mahmud described the ride as uneventful, with the two passengers chatting quietly and looking at their phones without interacting with him. However, when Mahmud stopped at a red light at 65th Street and Lexington Avenue and began to pray softly in Arabic, the mood shifted.
Guilbeault allegedly lunged at Mahmud, grabbed him, and pepper-sprayed his face. Moments later, she was outside the vehicle, and when her friend questioned her actions, Guilbeault reportedly replied, “He’s brown,” according to a police officer’s statement citing surveillance footage.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg announced that Guilbeault, 23, had been indicted on multiple charges, including second- and third-degree assault as a hate crime. If convicted on the second-degree assault charge as a hate crime, she could face up to 15 years in prison.
“The victim is a hardworking New Yorker who should not have to endure this type of hate based on his identity,” Bragg stated. “Everyone is welcome to live and work in Manhattan.”
Guilbeault, a Manhattan resident, pleaded not guilty in court and was released, with a court appearance scheduled for January.
Mahmud recalled fearing a hijacking when the attack began, saying, “I totally freaked out.” He initially tried to exit the vehicle but, realizing he was still belted in and that the car was drifting into traffic, he climbed back in to put it in park.
Mahmud reported injuries to his shoulder, neck, and back, and his vision in his right eye was temporarily impaired from the assault.
