Passenger who pepper-sprayed Uber driver without reason charged with hate crime: DA

On By Littum

A young woman who spray-painted a Muslim Uber driver on the Upper East Side over the summer was charged with a hate crime in the attack, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.

Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, was indicted in New York State Supreme Court on two counts of assault as a hate crime and aggravated harassment for the July 31 unprovoked attack near Lexington Avenue and East 66th Street, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

Uber driver Shohel Mahmud said a passenger who pepper-sprayed him claimed she did it because he is “brown”. James Keivom

“Jennifer Guilbeault senselessly assaulted a Muslim Uber driver while he was just doing his job,” Bragg said. “The victim is a hard-working New Yorker who should not have to see this type of hate because of her identity.”

The driver, Shohel Mahmud, later claimed that Guilbeault initiated his assault simply because of the color of his skin.

“Her friend, she’s yelling, ‘Jen, Jen, what the hell, what are you doing? What’s going on?’ Mahmud told The Post days after the attack. “Her friend is asking ‘Why did you do that?’ And she says: ‘He’s brown.’

Guilbeault was riding in the back seat with the other woman around 12:15 a.m. when she suddenly sprayed the noxious substance into the 45-year-old driver’s eyes, according to video circulating on various social media sites.

Mahmud said he had not spoken to the women when he picked them up in Midtown.

“They talk to each other,” he said. “I don’t talk to them, my job is to drive them. I start walking right down the Central Park Traverse, right down to 65th and Lexington. All of a sudden this girl sprayed me with pepper spray for no reason.”

Bragg said Guilbeault assaulted her driver when he began praying in Arabic just as he approached a red light.

“Her friend, she’s yelling, ‘Jen, Jen, what the hell are you doing? What’s going on?'” driver Shohel Mahmud recalled on Wednesday attack Reddit
Surveillance video shows Jennifer Guilbeault pepper-spraying driver Shohel Mahmud. Reddit
The woman can be seen on video appearing to hold the driver’s arm during the attack. Reddit

Mahmud jumped out of the car – he thought the women were trying to rob him and his vehicle.

But the car crept up without him, so he jumped back in – and Guilbeault sprayed him again.

“I mean, this is absolutely ridiculous,” added the father of three from Elmhurst, Queens. “I’m doing nothing and she squirts me. Pepper spray is illegal. She assaulted a driver for no reason. This is a hate crime.”

The Queens resident said the incident was a hate crime. James Keivom

Police arrested Guilbeault at the scene, but only gave her a desk ticket at first.

Her lawyer said the incident should not be charged as a hate crime.

“Ms. Guilbeault was not motivated by race, religion, national origin or any other discriminatory factor,” Michael J. Alber said in a statement.

“This case must be looked at with all the surrounding circumstances, which includes assessment of all evidence and lack of evidence,” he added. “We look forward to working with the District Attorney’s office to fully investigate all facts in the proper forum, which does not embellish or exaggerate the allegations, especially where the integrity and credibility of allegations can be properly tested.

Her next court date is Jan. 13.