In a shocking incident caught on video, an Uber driver named Shohel Mahmud was pepper-sprayed by a passenger simply because of his skin color. The attack occurred on Wednesday, July 31, around 11:30 p.m. at Lexington Avenue and East 66th Street in New York City.

Mahmud, 45, picked up two women in Midtown and was driving them without any interaction when one of them, Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, suddenly sprayed him in the eyes with pepper spray. According to Mahmud, Guilbeault’s friend was shocked and questioned her actions, to which Guilbeault responded, “He’s brown.”

Mahmud jumped out of the car, thinking the women wanted to steal his vehicle and phone, but quickly got back inside as the car continued moving slowly. Despite his pleas, Guilbeault kept spraying him. “This is totally ridiculous,” Mahmud said. “I did nothing and she sprayed me. Pepper spray is illegal. She assaulted a driver for no reason. This is a hate crime.”

Mahmud called 911, but Guilbeault tried to flee. Her friend stayed behind and called her back, and the police arrived shortly after. Guilbeault was given a desk appearance ticket for assault and must appear in court at a later date. However, police are not investigating the assault as a hate crime.

The incident has deeply affected Mahmud and his family, especially his daughter. “Mentally, I’m not 100% OK, but I have to work,” he said. “I have three kids, my wife, and my mother living with me.” Mahmud’s children are 17, 14, and 1 year old.

He hopes to remind everyone to treat others with respect. “This is the 21st century,” Mahmud said. “The world is smaller. People can work from anywhere, you can see videos from anywhere.”