Update: 40-year-old Hamilton man charged in Islamophobic hate crime investigation
Published July 13, 2021 at 6:27 pm
Hamilton police have arrested a 40-year-old Hamilton man in connection to a hate crime investigation.
The man’s name was not immediately released by the Hamilton Police Service (HPS).
He will appear in court on Wednesday (July 14) and faces three counts of uttering threats, two counts of assault with a weapon, dangerous operation of a vehicle, and failure to comply with his probation.
At approximately 9:30 p.m., Monday (June 12) night a mother and daughter were walking through a parking lot in a plaza in the Ancaster Meadowlands.
Police say “an interaction occurred after a vehicle pulling out of a parking spot almost struck one of the victims.”
The interaction escalated with the suspect uttering threats towards the victims while using Islamaphobic slurs targeting the Muslim community, according to police.
Videos
The victims reportedly ran across the street and hid behind bushes while the suspect searched for them.
Police say the suspect eventually located the mother and daughter and threatened to kill them.
One of the victims ran screaming for help before witnesses intervened before the suspect fled the area.
Police urged witnesses to come forward and contact Hamilton Police Division 3 Criminal Investigation Branch Acting Detective Sergeant Michael Hall at 905-546-3851.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising