GOLDEN, Colo. — A 36-year-old man has been charged with a hate crime against a Lakewood business owner and member of the Sikh community after he allegedly used his car to run over the man in a Lakewood liquor store parking lot.
The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office said they filed hate crime charges, a class five felony, against Eric Breemen, after he ran over Lakhwant Singh on April 29 in front of the Two Angels Liquor Store at 2589 South Lewis Way.
According to the arrest affidavit, when police arrived at the scene in April, they found Singh lying in the parking lot with serious injuries. Witnesses told police the suspect drove at a fast speed directly toward Singh, hit him and ran over him.
Even though the original crime occurred in April, district attorney investigators working with the FBI weren't able to interview the victim in person until recently, after he was released from the hospital after spending 65 days recovering from his injuries.
District Attorney Pete Weir said this case is an example of the challenges that the criminal justice system faces during a public health emergency like Covid-19.
“We would have preferred to have had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Singh personally closer to the time of his assault as we made decisions in this case," said Weir. "However, the severity of Singh’s injuries and health concerns related to the pandemic only recently permitted a thorough, in-person, interview with Singh by law enforcement."
After interviewing the victim, Weir determined that the additional information supported filing a hate crime against Breemen and 16 other counts including attempted murder, a class two felony.
Breemen is being held at the Jefferson County jail on $50,000 bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 24 at 8:30 a.m.
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