A possible hate crime, the incident occurred on February 29 when the monk was out taking his dogs to obedience training
San Francisco: In a hate-fuelled attack, a 66-year-old Buddhist monk was assaulted in the US with the attacker apparently mistaking him for a Muslim. Kozen Sampson, a Buddhist monk, said he was attacked during a visit to Hood River in Oregon state.
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The brown robe-clad Sampson’s car door was kicked into his head by a man who abused him and then fled on foot, according to the Hood River Police Department.
Police described the assailant as a white male with brown hair. Investigators are probing the incident that took place on February 29 as a possible hate crime.
Sampson said he suffered a small cut, some memory loss after the man attacked him on his trip to take his dogs to obedience training. “I know that that was an angry thought that this person had, but Muslims have to deal with this every day,” said Sampson. “I pulled over, someone ran up and yelled. I turned around, they kicked the door, hit me in the side of the face and knocked my head into the car’s frame,” Sampson said. He said the man also abused Muslims.