Windshield smashed, racial slurs painted on car in Calgary, police investigate as ‘hate-motivated crime’

The Calgary Police Service says a vandalism incident in a neighbourhood in the southeast part of the city is being treated as a “hate-motivated crime” by investigators.

According to police, a car in Douglasglen had its windshield smashed while someone also spray-painted racial slurs on the vehicle. They said the target of the vandal(s) was a 2004 Silver Honda Accord parked along Douglas Glen Crescent S.E.

READ MORE: After taxi was spray-painted with swastikas, northern Alberta community rallied to help owner

Investigators believe the car was damaged some time between 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and 7 a.m. on Thursday.

“Investigators believe the vehicle was targeted based on the ethnicity of the owner,” police said in a news release.

“Investigators are asking anyone with information or CCTV footage related to the incident to call the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers.

Police said offences are treated as hate-motivated crimes if they believe the offender was “motivated by bias, prejudice or hate that is based on one of nine personal characteristics of the victim.”

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“The hate motivation is considered by the court after a person is found guilty of the crime,” police said. “If the judge decides during sentencing that hate was a motivation for the crime, it is an aggravating factor that adds to the convicted person’s sentence.”

View photos of the vandalism below:

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