A Sikh truck driver from Northern California was stabbed 17 times in an unprovoked attack at a Wyoming truck stop on Sunday, his attorney says.
The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office in Wyoming confirmed the attack happened just before 3:30 a.m. on Sunday. The driver, a Sacramento man who said he only feels safe sharing his last name of Singh, stopped near the Bitter Creek rest area on Interstate 80 in Wyoming for a bathroom break.
He told attorney and Jakara Movement Director of Legal Services Jasjit Singh that he was first punched in the back of the head in the rest area bathroom. His attacker, another truck driver, didn’t speak as Singh repeatedly asked why he was being attacked.
The man began to stab Singh until he was able to push him off and run outside.
A family at the rest area saw Singh’s condition after the attack. A father and son followed the suspect, who attempted to drive off in his own tractor-trailer, until Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers arrived.
The family returned to the rest area to help Singh, who called 911. Singh was transported by helicopter to a trauma facility, according to the sheriff’s office.
The suspect was located in Rawlins, further east down I-80, by Highway Patrol troopers and taken into custody without incident.
Concern about attack’s motive
There is no known motive for the attack at this time and there is no threat to the public, officials said. The investigation is ongoing.
Singh, the driver, is getting support from the Jakara Movement, a California-based grassroots community-building organization that empowers, educates, and organizes Punjabi Sikhs and other marginalized communities.
Jasjit Singh told CBS News Sacramento Thursday there are concerns about why the driver was attacked and whether it was motivated by bias.
The driver was not wearing a turban at the time, Singh said, but he was wearing a kara, which is a metal bracelet traditionally worn by Sikhs. Singh says the victim believes his appearance may have played a role in the attack.
“He feels like that may be part of the targeting,” Singh said. “How did this individual choose him? In the middle of the night?”
There has been no official determination from investigators that the attack was motivated by the victim’s religion, ethnicity or appearance.
Singh also points to the fact that the attacker was another truck driver.
“What drove this individual to do this? This is another truck driver,” Singh said.
The Bitter Creek rest area is along a heavily traveled stretch of I-80 through Wyoming.
Lawmakers respond to unprovoked attack
Jasjit Singh says there have been concerns about the rhetoric coming from Washington and how it could affect South Asian and Sikh truck drivers.
“Now you have this additional fear that as a South Asian or as a Sikh Punjabi Sikh truck driver, you have to deal with these fears on how you look,” Singh said.
Singh stressed that the Sikh community has spent decades building relationships with other communities.He is urging people to come together rather than allowing rhetoric to lead to violence.
“We are really begging that folks really come together and realize that we’re really stronger together,” Singh said. “Nothing should lead to an attack on someone’s life.”
The attack comes days after a social media post from the Department of Homeland Security targeted a specific group of commercial truck drivers and drew criticism from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic lawmakers.
The post, which has since been taken down, shows the character Optimus Prime from the “Transformers” franchise facing a man and includes the phrases “America for Americans,” “Self-deport or find out” and “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive, Mr. Singh.”
In response to the Wyoming rest stop attack, Newsom’s chief deputy director of communications shared a statement with CBS News Sacramento.
“Our thoughts are with this individual and his family during this time. The Trump Administration for over a year has been pushing misinformation to smear an entire workforce and target diverse communities. The President’s now-redacted social media post is one proof point — his hateful rhetoric is hurting our communities,” Diana Crofts-Pelayo said.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi , an Illinois Democrat, said in a statement that he is “horrified by the brutal attack on a Sikh truck driver who was stabbed 17 times at a Wyoming rest stop. This comes amid rising hatred targeting Sikh and South Asian Americans, with even the Trump Department of Homeland Security recently posting a racist caricature of a Sikh truck driver telling him to ‘get off our roads’ and ‘self-deport or find out.’
“Those spreading this hate, including officials in our own federal government, need to stop. Those who turn it into violence must be held accountable. And all of us need to stand together against both. America must be better than this. I’m praying for Mr. Singh’s full recovery and grateful to the family whose quick action helped save his life.”
Earlier this month, Krishnamoorthi spoke out against the DHS post, warning that it fueled xenophobia against Sikh and South Asian Americans. He later led representatives, including California’s Ami Bera, in demanding action from President Trump.
