CALIFORNIA: On Tuesday, San Joaquin County Judge Michael Mulvihill sentenced 18-year old Tyrone McAllister to one year in county jail for the attempted robbery involving of 71-year-old Sahib Singh Natt.
An elder abuse charge had been dismissed in light of the guilty plea to the attempted robbery, according to the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office.
In an incident that outraged the international Sikh community, Sahib Singh had completed his second of four laps around Graystone Park in Manteca during the early morning of August 6 when he was confronted by Tyrone McAllister and a teenage boy. Sahib Singh stated the young men wanted money but he repeatedly told them he did not have any.
“I was brutally attacked and as I got back up to defend myself, I soon realized I was no match for these youth,” said Sahib Singh Natt is a statement read by friend Parminder Singh Sahi.
“I stand before you today as a Sikh American beaten, but not defeated,” Natt’s statement said. “I didn’t know how I would react if I ever got to stand in front of the individuals that had done this to me.
“And as this case has progressed, I have gone through a roller coaster of emotions from sadness, anger, vigilance and remorse, not for myself, but for you, Mr. McAllister … we live in a great land of opportunities for all of us and you have so much left to throw it away by assaulting someone five to six times your ages.”
The confrontation, which was caught by a security camera, shows the violent encounter which left the injured Sahib Singh on the ground. The images of the elderly man being kicked garnered international media attention following which Tyrone Keith McAllister, was identified and revealed as the son of Union City Police Chief, Darryl McAllister.
Chief McAllister helped identify his son as the primary aggressor from surveillance footage, and Manteca police also credited the arrest to tips provided by the Sikh community.
During the sentencing hearing, Tyrone McAllister declined to make a statement and expressed no remorse, at times smirking as he listened to the remarks from the prosecutor, the judge and 71-year-old Sahib Singh Natt.
“I hope you do receive punishment for your crimes, but also get time to repent and hopefully one day break free and not turn into a life full of crimes,” said Sahib Singh Natt’s victim impact statement.
Deputy District Attorney Janet Smith addressing McAllister said he was lucky the sentence or the injuries to Sahib Singh weren’t worse and called his actions “nothing short of prison worthy.”
She then momentarily stopped speaking and noted that McAllister was busy talking to his attorney and not paying attention. After regaining McAllister’s focus, Smith continued by saying she hoped he accepted Sahib SIngh Natt’s forgiveness and changed his life, otherwise, she would make sure he’s punished to the fullest extent of the law for any other crimes he commits.
“Take this opportunity to make a different choice and become a man,” Smith said.
Outside the courtroom, Sahib Singh, through Sahi , said he was “happy with the verdict. He wants to give a chance to this young kid, so he can be productive one day.”
