Judge hears plea for leniency<\/b><\/p>\n
A Kent cab driver injured in a hate-crime attack last year is continuing on the path to recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has resumed work, but he doesn\u2019t drive at night \u2013 he\u2019s still anxious about it,\u201d said attorney Hardeep Rekhi, of his client, Sukhvir Singh, 49. \u201cHe\u2019s still looking over his shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Singh, a follower of the Sikh faith, was injured Nov. 24 in an attack along Interstate 5, as he was transporting an intoxicated customer to Kent from Seattle. Kent resident Luis A. Vazquez assaulted the cab driver, striking him with his hands, biting off a piece of his scalp and accusing him of being a terrorist.<\/p>\n
Singh wound up stopping the cab along the highway and fleeing the vehicle, pursued by Vazquez, who knocked him to the ground. The attack ended when Vazquez attempted to board a Metro bus that had stopped as a result of the highway altercation.<\/p>\n
A milestone in the case unfolded Friday in Seattle Superior Court, when Vazquez, 21, received a sentence of nine months of work release and 240 hours of community service for the charges.<\/p>\n
Vazquez, who last month pleaded guilty to malicious harassment (the state\u2019s hate-crime law), second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, apologized to Singh at Friday\u2019s sentencing, expressing remorse for his actions.<\/p>\n
Singh was in the audience to hear him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn God we trust – that is the main thing I say in my life,\u201d Singh said in a phone interview afterward, noting he has forgiven Vazquez. \u201cWe are all brothers and sisters. Our lives are very precious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Singh, who made a request for leniency to Judge Monica Benton, in whose courtroom Friday\u2019s hearing took place, said he didn\u2019t want to see Vazquez\u2019s life destroyed. That\u2019s where the work-release element of the sentence comes in, meaning Vazquez can continue to work, but must report to jail when he is not working.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone does wrong, they should pay the price,\u201d Singh said in the phone interview. \u201c(But) I don\u2019t want to ruin his life. He is young.\u201d<\/p>\n
Singh\u2019s attorney Rekhi said he was pleased the case was treated as a hate crime, but expressed concern over the reduced sentence. Prosecutors had asked for a 12-month prison sentence, followed by 12 months of work release, to be served consecutively.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were glad that it was prosecuted as a hate crime, and he showed remorse,\u201d Rekhi said. \u201cBut I thought that a stronger sentence should have been imposed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to send a strong message to the community – hatred is just as bad as small-drug crimes,\u201d he added, noting the sentencing is often harsher in drug cases.<\/p>\n
Rekhi noted that it was Singh\u2019s wish for the work-release portion of the sentence.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the one who said they should put him on work release, that (going to prison full time) would hurt (Vazquez\u2019s) job,\u201d Rekhi said of his client.<\/p>\n
King County Deputy Prosecutor Mike Hogan, reached Monday, acknowledged the penalty could have been stiffer, had the case gone to to federal court. In order to keep the work-release element in the sentence, however, prosecutors kept the case at the county level.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could have gotten a great deal more time,\u201d Hogan said, noting the penalty could have been up to four years on the federal level.<\/p>\n
But Hogan noted Singh\u2019s request appeared to have reverberated with Judge Benton.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe heard Mr. Singh\u2019s recommendation for leniency. Her rationale made sense,\u201d Hogan said, paraphrasing Benton\u2019s statement to the court: \u201cthe only way to cure hatred is through compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Singh received congratulations from well-wishers, during a festival at his place of worship, Gurdwara Singh Sabha temple in Renton. Approximately 25 members of the Sikh community also had come out in support of Singh at Friday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n
Rehki on Friday noted Singh was grateful to have the matter put to rest.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s glad that there\u2019s been some resolution,\u201d Rehki said.<\/p>\n
Vazquez\u2019s attorney, Greg Girard, couldn\u2019t be reached for comment before deadline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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