Sikh Temple Vandalized In West Sacramento
Suspect Caught At The Scene
POSTED: 5:12 p.m. PDT September 13, 2001
UPDATED: 5:52 p.m. PDT September 13, 2001
WEST SACRAMENTO -- In the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attacks, many people have been turning their anger against minority communities.
On Thursday, the Sikh temple in West Sacramento became the target of what police are calling a hate crime.
Sikh leaders said that a man came to their temple on Evergreen Avenue in West Sacramento Wednesday night and demanded that the religious flag flying above be lowered. They said that when they refused, he threatened to come back.
"This is a religious flag. It has nothing to do with anything else. If it was a country flag or something else we are willing to," chairman of the Sikh temple Barjan Singh said.
Authorities said that on Thursday morning, that man, John Phillip Lucas, made good on his threats. They said that he returned to the temple, blocked one temple gate with a tractor, blocked the second gate with a truck and trailer, and padlocked it.
Then, authorities said, Lucas jumped the gate to the temple's holy pool and tainted it.
"He jumped in the pool, which is holy water. He shouldn't be getting in there," Singh said.
When West Sacramento police arrived, they were able to get Lucas out of the pool and took him into custody. He has been charged with felony vandalism, a hate crime and trespassing.
The West Sacramento police said that they would not let the attacks on New York and Washington turn community members against each other.
"This community is not going to tolerate any type of act to a church for merely being a church and having their religious flag up," West Sacramento Police Department spokeswoman Amy Weirich said. "These people have nothing to do with what's going on. We are helping everyone we can in this situation."
Lucas is being held on $100,000 bond at the Yolo County jail.
On Sunday, the temple is holding a prayer service for the victims of the attack on America.
On Thursday, the Sikh temple in West Sacramento became the target of what police are calling a hate crime.
Sikh leaders said that a man came to their temple on Evergreen Avenue in West Sacramento Wednesday night and demanded that the religious flag flying above be lowered. They said that when they refused, he threatened to come back.
"This is a religious flag. It has nothing to do with anything else. If it was a country flag or something else we are willing to," chairman of the Sikh temple Barjan Singh said.
Authorities said that on Thursday morning, that man, John Phillip Lucas, made good on his threats. They said that he returned to the temple, blocked one temple gate with a tractor, blocked the second gate with a truck and trailer, and padlocked it.
Then, authorities said, Lucas jumped the gate to the temple's holy pool and tainted it.
"He jumped in the pool, which is holy water. He shouldn't be getting in there," Singh said.
When West Sacramento police arrived, they were able to get Lucas out of the pool and took him into custody. He has been charged with felony vandalism, a hate crime and trespassing.
The West Sacramento police said that they would not let the attacks on New York and Washington turn community members against each other.
"This community is not going to tolerate any type of act to a church for merely being a church and having their religious flag up," West Sacramento Police Department spokeswoman Amy Weirich said. "These people have nothing to do with what's going on. We are helping everyone we can in this situation."
Lucas is being held on $100,000 bond at the Yolo County jail.
On Sunday, the temple is holding a prayer service for the victims of the attack on America.
Copyright 2002 by TheKCRAChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
