A 27-year-old Peterborough man is facing several charges following an alleged hate crime incident on a trail in the city on Monday morning.
Peterborough Police Service says that around 10:20 a.m., an individual was riding a bicycle along a trail in the area of Park and Romaine streets when a man walking on the trail allegedly began to yell homophobic slurs at the cyclist.
The man then allegedly chased after the cyclist and struck the person with a metal broomstick.
The incident was reported to police, who quickly located the suspect in the area of Aylmer Street.
Ivan John Dawson, 27, of Murray Street, was arrested and charged with assault with a weapon and failure to comply with a probation order.
Police say that due to the alleged comments, the incident has been classified as a hate crime — a criminal offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by a suspect’s hate bias against a racial, religious, ethnic, sexual orientation or disability group.
Dawson was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on June 11.
WATCH: More than half of the LGBTQ+ population say they have been personally attacked or harassed online.
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