Police seek to identify suspect in Church vandalism incident

We are asking for the public’s help to identify a man believed to be responsible for the vandalism of a statue at a church last week.

On Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, at approximately 5:30 p.m., it is believed a man approached the front of the Sacred Heart Church, located at 1307 14 Street S.W., and caused property damage to a religious statue. The man then fled the scene on foot.

The suspect is described as approximately 5’11” tall, with possible tattoos on his left arm, and a slim build. At the time of the incident, he was wearing an orange T-shirt, baseball cap, sunglasses, dark construction pants, and construction boots.

Our Hate Crime and Extremism Team is currently investigating the incident and it is not yet clear what motivated the vandalism.

A hate crime is a criminal offence committed against a person or property, which is motivated in whole or part by the suspect’s hate, bias or prejudice towards an identifiable group. 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.

Anyone with information about this incident or the identity of the male suspect is asked to contact police by calling 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers through any of the following methods:

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

Case #22360624/4757