Charges laid in spitting incident

We have charged a man in connection with a spitting incident that is believed to have been hate-motivated.

The incident occurred on the Rainbow Crosswalk at the intersection of Centre Street and Stephen Avenue Mall S.W., around 1 p.m., on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020. A Drag King recording a video was spit on by a man walking past. Video footage and CCTV from the area was collected and a photo of the suspect was released to the public.

Information from the public helped identify a suspect who we now believe to be the man in the video. The man was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, with the assistance of the Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service.

Craig Brendon McGillis, 37, of Tsuut’ina, Alta., is charged with one count of assault.

Hate-motivated 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.

These types of offences not only harm the victim but can have larger impacts in the community. They can leave others who share the same characteristic concerned that they too may be targeted, which undermines their feeling of safety in our city.

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

Case # CA20308785/3218