The son of a police chief in California is among two teenagers who were arrested and charged with attempted robbery and abuse in the brutal attack on a 71-year-old Sikh man this week.
The investigators are trying to determine if the attack was a hate crime.
McAllister, the son of Union City Police Chief Darryl McAllister, and the juvenile have been charged with attempted robbery, elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon.
The Manteca Police Department said it received numerous tips which assisted in the identification of the suspects.
Investigations Supervisor sergeant Miller said the public assistance in providing information with this case was instrumental in identifying the suspects and helped in making a quick arrest.
Meanwhile, McAllister's father posted a statement on the Facebook page of the Union City Police department saying he is “completely disgusted” to find out that one of the suspects in this “horrific crime” is his son.
He said his son has been “estranged” from his family and home for several months now.
He said it is difficult for his family to comprehend how one of his three kids, raised with the same values and character, wandered so far astray.
“In the eyes of the public, no matter the irrelevance to the incident, the fact remains that “the father of the perpetrator of this despicable crime is a police chief, period”, he said.
Disturbing footage from a surveillance camera shows Natt walking alone on the side of a road early morning on 6 August when two men, wearing hoodies, walking from the opposite direction approach him.
Natt stops on seeing the men and the duo are seen talking to him. Natt then walks past them but they continue to follow and talk with him.
After a brief argument, one of the men, who is wearing a black hoodie, suddenly kicks Natt in the stomach and the elderly man falls down on the road, with his turban coming off.
A few seconds later the man in the black hoodie runs back and viciously kicks Natt three times near his head as he lay on the street. He then starts leaving again, pauses, turns around, and then spits at Natt.
The police chief said his “stomach has been churning” from the moment he learned the news of the attack on Natt and that his son was involved.
He also said his son began to lose his way a couple years ago, while he was a juvenile, running away and getting involved in a bad crowd.
"Since being released he has been wayward and has not returned to our family home for several months," he said.
The police chief said he and his wife worked with Manteca Police to help them track their son down and arrest him.
The attack on Natt is the second on a Sikh man in about a week in California.
On 31 July, 50-year-old Surjit Malhi was attacked while putting up campaign signs in support of incumbent Republican Congressman Jeff Denham and other local Republican candidates.
Sikh advocacy group The Sikh Coalition has urged members of the community to remain vigilant and report cases of bias, bigotry and backlash in the wake of the attacks.
“If you or someone you know has experienced a potential hate crime, please reach out to our team. We have a seasoned team of lawyers who can provide free legal advice and support you through the process to protect your rights,” she added. The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) also condemned the attack on Natt.
"We stand in solidarity with the Sikh community against the bigotry and racism that fuels hate crimes like this one nationwide. These kinds of incidents are becoming increasingly common under the Trump administration and are direct attacks on religious liberty in the United States,” CAIR-Sacramento Valley's executive director Basim Elkarra said.
In the past, CAIR had stood in solidarity with communities of various faiths and backgrounds that are subject to similar hate crimes.
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