Hateful incidents targeting the Asian Community, police seeking witnesses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, October 13, 2020 12:20pm
(Ottawa) – The Ottawa Police is currently investigating two hate-motivated incidents in the past week.
The first incident occurred on October 8 at approximately 8:00pm on the 3400 block of Strandherd Drive. The complainant was eating in a restaurant when he noticed a white Chevrolet Equinox pulling up next to his vehicle, which was parked in front of the business. The driver of the Equinox, described as a 45-60 year old Caucasian man, began spitting all over the complainant’s vehicle. When confronted by the complainant, the man drove off.
The second incident occurred on October 9 at approximately 2:45pm on the 1-100 block of Rideau Street. The complainant was entering a store when a man told him: “Being forced to wear a mask makes me want to kill Asians.” The suspect is described as a Caucasian man in his 40’s, 5’10” (178cm), thin build, brown hair that spoke English with no accent.
The Ottawa Police is aware of similar incidents in other jurisdictions. In partnership with the community, the Service takes these incidents very seriously and they will be fully investigated. We encourage anyone who has experienced or witnessed similar hateful behaviour to report these incidents to Police.
Investigators are looking to speak with anyone who may have witnessed these incidents or who has information about the vehicle and occupants. Anyone with information is asked to call the Detective Ali Toghrol of the Ottawa Police Service Hate Crime Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5015.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by Calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.
As part of the ongoing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) action plan, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) reintroduced the Hate Crime Section in January 2020 to encourage reporting, improve response and support impacted communities. Our three-pronged approach to hate crimes includes investigative expertise, community outreach work, and ongoing intelligence gathering.
The OPS is constantly looking for ways to improve its response to hate-motivated incidents and to ensure community awareness. That includes raising awareness of our approach to hate crime investigations both externally and internally.
For more information, visit the Hate-Motivated Crime Section online.
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