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One day after releasing a disturbing video of an elderly Sikh man being kicked and spit on, Manteca Police have made an arrest.
According to police, two teenagers — Tyrone McAllister, 18, and a 16-year-old — were arrested and charged with attempted robbery, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon. Police have not released the name of the 16-year-old boy because he is a minor. McAllister is the son of the Union City Police Chief.
According to police, the two men confronted the victim as he walked down the street around 6 a.m. Monday.
It's difficult to watch. 71-year-old Sahib Singh Natt was kicked and later spit on by two teenagers early Monday morning in Greystone Park. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and released.
He doesn't speak English, so his son-in-law spoke to ABC10 on his behalf.
"Everybody's scared, everybody's scared, me, everybody, that scared us a lot," Mangeet Singh Virk, the son-in-law of the victim said.
Natt is Sikh and though police say there is no evidence that Natt was targeted because of his religion, this attack shook the Sikh community.
It has also affected the neighborhood surrounding the park.
"When I heard the news and I saw the video, I was so upset for what happened, he's a good guy, why did they do this? He was 71 years old," Virgilio Ballesderos, a neighbor said.
But in less than 24 hours, the video spread across social media and tips flooded in.
"The community did help, our investigative team said this is probably the most involved that any crime that we've had that the community has been involved and it's not just the Sikh community, it was the entire community that came together to help successfully conclude this case with a quick arrest," Sgt. Stephen Schluer, a spokesman for the Manteca Police Department said.
On Wednesday, Union City Police Chief Darryl McAllister released the following statement via the Union City Police Department Facebook page.
The victim and his family are breathing a sigh of relief after learning about these arrests.
"The news is really good, Manteca police did really good job and everybody in Manteca did a really good job," Virk said.
Manteca Police say they think this was an isolated incident, but the family disagrees.
"This was a hate crime!" Virk said. "When they spit, that is a hate crime."
And they have a message for the two teenage suspects caught on camera.
"Don't do it again, that's my message, don't do it," he said.
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