Police search for victim of a possible hate-motivated assault
The Calgary Police Service is looking for a person that is believed to have been the victim of a hate-motivated assault.
Around 4:30 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, police responded to reports of an assault on the southbound C-Train, just before it arrived at Rundle Station. It is believed a man on the train began yelling at a South Asian Sikh man, telling him to “go back to your own country.”
It is alleged that the man then hit the victim on the head with a piece of cardboard before both people exited train. The man continued yelling racial slurs at the victim as they walked off the platform and then the two went separate ways, with the victim heading towards Sunridge Mall.
The suspect was located after another person on the train called police, but the victim was not found.
The confrontation is believed to have been completely unprovoked.
Investigators are releasing details of the incident and a photo of the people on the LRT platform in the hopes that the victim and witnesses will contact police to provide a statement so the investigation can move forward.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Calgary Police Service by calling the non-emergency number at 403-266-1234 or emailing the Hate Crimes Coordinator at hatecrime@calgarypolice.ca. Tips can also be left anonymously through Crime Stoppers using either of the following methods:
TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
Hate-motived crimes are crimes where the offender is motivated entirely or in part by bias, prejudice or hate that is based on any of ten personal characteristics of the victim. The ten characteristics are race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression, or on any other similar factor.
When police find evidence that hate or bias was the motivation for a crime, no additional charge is laid as a result. Instead, this evidence is presented during the trial so the judge can consider whether the offence was a hate-motivated crime. If the person is found guilty and the judge rules that the offence was hate-motivated, then a stronger sentence must be given.
Case # 18449570/4771
