Bo Richard Vitagliano (“Bo Richard”), a homeless Amercian, brutally assaulted Harpal Singh, 70, while he was taking his daily walk near the Sikh Gurdwara of Los Angeles on August 4.
The Los Angeles Police Department have now arrested 44 years old Bo Richard who has been booked for assault with a deadly weapon, with his bail set for US$ 1.1 million.
Harpal Singh suffered a skull fracture and potential brain trauma. Harpal Singh has sustained very serious injuries during the assault and remains in critical condition.
Police responded to a radio call
The police said that law enforcement officials responded to a radio call of an “assault with a deadly weapon investigation.”
Preliminary investigation revealed there was a physical altercation between Singh and Bo Richard, who is a homeless American.
Witnesses said while they did not see how the altercation began, they heard a loud commotion, then witnessed two men swinging metal objects at each other, the LAPD said.
Some witnesses say they did not see how the altercation began but saw Harpal Singh on the ground and Bo Richard riding away on his bicycle amid yelling from witnesses.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded and transported Singh to a nearby hospital where he was admitted for a skull fracture and potential brain trauma.
Bo Richard has an extensive criminal record for narcotics, assault with a deadly weapon, and various weapons charges. The LAPD spokesperson said the authorities do not believe the assault was a hate crime, but instead motivated by a dispute over property belonging to the victim or attempted robbery.
Not a hate crime
The Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group, have said that while the suspect is in custody for the brutal assault on Singh, the police are not investigating the case as a hate crime.
The Sikh Coalition noted that it is “impossible to completely rule out that this is a hate crime at this stage. The suspect has been in custody for less than 24 hours, and Harpal ji himself remains unconscious and has thus been unable to sit for a full police interview, with professional translation services, separate from a conversation immediately after the attack.”
“After such an interview happens, if the LAPD still believes this was not a hate crime, they must publicly clarify how they determined hate was not a factor in this assault,” it said.
That call is supported by Harpal Singh’s brother Dr Gurdial Singh Randhawa who:
“we need to better understand this attack and why it is not being considered a hate crime.”
“Justice must be served, and our local Sikh community must know that the area around our gurdwara—where we gather to worship, learn, connect, eat, and serve others—is safe for all,” he added.