A New York subway passenger who brutally assaulted a Black conductor while shouting racial slurs will spend the next three and a half years behind bars.
Mehet Kalam was sentenced in Queens Criminal court on Monday, months after attacking MTA conductor Keith Simon at the Forrest Hills-71st Ave station on June 18, the New York Daily News reported. Kalam, 23, reportedly became enraged after Simon roused him from his sleep and screamed, “N—-r, I’m gonna f–k you up!”
Mehet Kalam, 23, attacked the conductor after being roused from his sleep at the train station. (Getty Images)
The Woodside man clocked Simon in the face, stomach and forearm before shoving him out of a subway car and across the platform toward an oncoming train, according to police. He pleaded guilty to assault as a hate crime last month.
“This was a vicious, unprovoked attack on an MTA worker who was just doing his job,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. “Our MTA workers interact with the public every day and do an outstanding job.”
“They deserve courtesy and to be safe on the job,” he added.
As part of a plea deal with prosecutors, Kalam will serve three months probation after he’s released from prison.
