Police investigating hate-motivated incident

A man in Valley Ridge reported that strangers threw garbage and pointed a firearm at him last night, possibly because of his race.

The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m., on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2020, in the 100 block of Valley Crest Close N.W. The man was walking from his vehicle to his house when a Grey Nissan Altima pulled up and the passenger threw garbage at him. The passenger then yelled a racial slur at him and showed the man what appeared to be a handgun, before driving away.

“Incidents where people are targeted for mistreatment because of a protected ground like race, religion, gender or sexual orientation are very concerning to us,” said Constable Craig Collins, Hate Crimes Coordinator with the Calgary Police Service. “The fact that a firearm may have also been used to further intimidate this man makes this case even more serious.”

The man reported that there were three suspects in the vehicle, all believed to be Caucasian men. The passenger is described as having a medium build and short hair. We have not been able to find video of the vehicle and are hoping the public can help.

Anyone with information or CCTV footage related to the incident is asked to contact us by calling 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers through any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
APP: “P3 Tips” app

Hate-motived crimes are recognizable crimes, like assault, theft, vandalism or any other crime, where the offender was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate that is based on one of nine personal characteristics of the victim.

The hate motivation is considered by the courts after a person is found guilty of the crime. If the judge decides during sentencing that hate was a motivation for the crime, it is an aggravating factor that adds to the convicted person’s sentence.

Case #20082863/4771