According to a Columbus Police report, a man attacked an Ohio State student and his girlfriend Sunday on an East Northwood Avenue sidewalk.
Abdul Ahad Irfan, a fourth-year in finance, and Ashley Brown, a second-year in social work at Ohio University, were walking to Irfan’s house on East Norwich Avenue at 2:35 a.m. after having “a couple drinks” at The Little Bar, Irfan said.
The walk home started in confusion when a taxi driver, who picked up the two at The Little Bar, drove them to Indianola and East Northwood avenues rather than the intended destination of East Norwich Avenue. Irfan said he was unsure why the taxi driver dropped them off there.
While walking toward High Street, about 15 men and women yelled racial epithets at him from a porch near 217 E. Northwood Ave., said Irfan, who is vice president of the Pakistani American Student Association.
“They were yelling stuff like, ‘You f—— Indian, go back to your country!'” he said.
The two kept walking, but after more slurs, Brown, who is Caucasian, turned toward the porch and yelled, “You racist bastards,” Irfan said.
The police report said one man then attacked the couple, but Irfan alleges eight men assaulted him — knocking him to the ground and causing him to lose consciousness for “three to four seconds.”
When he regained consciousness, he said he saw his girlfriend lying in the street, bloodied and bruised.
Although the police report did not mention any witnesses, Irfan said a woman on East Northwood Avenue saw the assault and was the one who called police.
Irfan and Brown refused medical treatment and instead returned home to begin calling friends to let them know what happened. When home, Irfan realized his wrist watch was gone, and his girlfriend of six months was missing her charm bracelet, he said.
The next day, Irfan returned to the assault scene to search for their belongings. Instead he found car keys, which he thinks belong to his attackers.
“I pressed the alarm button, and a car behind the house where they (the suspects) were began beeping,” Irfan said. He wrote down the license plate number and said he plans to give it to detectives later this week. Irfan said he also plans to meet with detectives and identify his attackers at their house.
“Oh I know what house it is,” he said. “I walked by the house on Sunday, and three of them were out there. They knew who I was, and I knew who they were.”
Although neither Irfan nor Brown was seriously injured, Irfan said he considers this a hate crime and will press charges against his assailants.
