Police make arrests in attack of 71-year-old Sikh man

Police in Manteca, Calif., said they arrested two teenagers in connection with the attack of a Sikh man during his morning walk earlier this week. 

Police took suspects Tyrone McAllister, 18, and an unnamed 16-year-old boy into custody on Wednesday, local NBC affiliate KCRA reported. The two suspects were charged with attempted robbery and elder abuse, in addition to assault with a deadly weapon. 

Police said they received tips from community members after the department released surveillance footage of the attack, prompting outrage. 

“The public’s assistance in providing information with this case was instrumental in identifying the suspects and allowed my investigators to make a quick arrest,” an investigations supervisor told the TV station.

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Surveillance footage obtained by the local station shows Sahib Singh taking a walk through a local park early Monday morning, when he was confronted by two people.

In the video, the two can be seen following Singh, who does not speak English, before surrounding him and kicking him to the ground, knocking his turban off.

After Singh attempts to get off the ground, one of the attackers kicks him to the ground again several times, the video shows.

Singh was treated at a local hospital and later released.

Police told KCRA that the incident is being investigated as an attempted robbery and could potentially be charged as a hate crime.

The attack comes a week after another Sikh man, Surjit Malhi, claimed he was attacked and told to “go back to [his] country” in an incident that police in California are investigating as a hate crime.

The 50-year-old said he was beaten last week by two men, who also allegedly spray-painted his truck with hate symbols while he was posting campaign signs in support of Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) in Stanislaus County.