Elham Asaad Buaras
A young woman accused of pepper-spraying a Muslim Uber driver on Manhattan’s Upper East Side has been indicted on hate crime charges, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed. Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, faces charges in New York State Supreme Court for two counts of assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment in connection with the alleged unprovoked attack on July 31 near Lexington Avenue and East 66th Street, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg stated on October 28.
“Jennifer Guilbeault senselessly assaulted a Muslim Uber driver while he was just doing his job,” Bragg said. “The victim is a hardworking New Yorker who should not have to face this type of hate because of his identity.”
The driver, Shohel Mahmud, later claimed that Guilbeault targeted him solely due to his skin colour.
“Her friend, she is yelling, ‘Jen, Jen, what the f–k, what are you doing? What’s going on?’” Mahmud recounted to The Post shortly after the incident. “Her friend is asking, ‘Why did you do that?’ And she says, ‘He’s brown.’”
According to video circulating on social media, Guilbeault, seated in the backseat with another woman, allegedly sprayed pepper spray into the 45-year-old driver’s eyes at approximately 12:15 a.m. Mahmud said he had not interacted with the passengers after picking them up in Midtown.
“They are talking to each other,” he said. “I’m not talking to them; my job is to drive them. I start going straight down the Central Park Traverse, straight down to 65th and Lexington. Suddenly, this girl for no reason sprays me with pepper spray.”
The DA’s office claims that Guilbeault attacked Mahmud after he began praying in Arabic when approaching a red light.
Video footage purportedly shows Guilbeault appearing to hold the driver’s arm during the assault. Mahmud exited the vehicle, fearing an attempted robbery, but quickly re-entered when the car began rolling — at which point Guilbeault allegedly sprayed him again.
“I mean, this is totally ridiculous,” said Mahmud, a father of three from Elmhurst, Queens. “I did nothing, and she sprayed me. Pepper spray is illegal. She assaulted a driver for no reason.”
Guilbeault’s attorney, Michael J. Alber, argued that the charges should not be treated as a hate crime.
“Ms. Guilbeault was not motivated by race, religion, national origin, or any other discriminatory factor,” Alber said. “This case needs to be looked at with all surrounding circumstances which include assessing all of the evidence and lack of evidence. We look forward to working with the District Attorney’s office to fully vet all of the facts in the proper forum, which does not embellish or exaggerate the claims, especially where the integrity and credibility of claims can properly be tested.” Guilbeault’s next court date is scheduled for January 13.
