'Go Back To Where You Came From': Muslim DoorDash Driver Says He Was Attacked By Customer Near Lake Minnetonka
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A DoorDash delivery man says he was punched and told to go back to his country after making a Sunday morning delivery to a home near Lake Minnetonka.
On Thursday, victim Haarun Galbayte and Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN), described the attack, which happened while Galbayte was pulling away after delivery food on the morning of October 27.
"He was flagged down by a gentleman who began immediately verbally assaulting him [with expletives] … 'Go back to your country!'" said Hussein.
READ MORE: Report: Subway Employee Cited After Telling Muslim Woman To 'Go Back To Your Country'
The 54-year-old man then punched Galbayte in the head three times.
Police say the attack happened on the 500 block of St. Alban's Bay Road in Greenwood, just off Lake Minnetonka. The man who owns the $4.5 million home was arrested by South Lake Minnetonka Police after the victim called 911.
A passenger in a truck leaving the property told WCCO the man was not at home. Police tell us the man was dissatisfied with where Galbayte had left the food. He was arrested and booked into the Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of fifth-degree assault.
"I told him, you know, when he said, 'Go back to your home,' and I said, 'I came from Eden Prairie, I live there,' and then he said, 'Eden Prairie is not your home. Go back to where you came from,'" Galbayte said.
Galbayte says he is upset that the man used the same language that President Donald Trump used on Twitter about Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and three other Congresswomen of color.
READ MORE: President Trump's 'Go Back' Remark: In Workplace, It Might Be Illegal
He stressed that he is deeply grateful to the neighbor who helped him.
CAIR-MN says anyone who feels they are being targeted for their Muslim faith should call them, as well as police.
The case is under review by police and a city prosecutor. No charges have been filed.
A DoorDash spokesperson released this statement to WCCO Thursday night:
DoorDash was founded as a platform to connect people with possibility, and we do not tolerate any form of malicious, discriminatory or hateful behavior on our platform. We take the safety of our entire community extremely seriously and are cooperating with local law enforcement in this investigation. We have reached out to the Dasher to offer our support during his recovery, and have deactivated the customer from our platform.
