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Hate crimes unit investigating Calgarian’s claims that strangers threw garbage, pointed gun at him

Calgary police look to identify a suspect in an attempted fraud incident on Feb. 18. Global News

A man alleges that strangers threw garbage and pointed a gun at him in the Valley Ridge neighbourhood on Tuesday, “possibly because of his race,” according to the Calgary Police Service.

On Feb. 25 at 8:30 p.m., a man was walking from his vehicle to his house in the 100 block of Valley Crest Close N.W. when a Grey Nissan Altima with three men inside pulled up, police said in a news release issued Wednesday.

A passenger — who has a medium build and short hair — allegedly threw garbage at him, yelled a racial slur and flashed a handgun before the car drove away, officers said.

“Incidents where people are targeted for mistreatment because of a protected ground like race, religion, gender or sexual orientation, are very concerning to us,” said Const. Craig Collins with the CPS hate crimes unit.

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“The fact that a firearm may have also been used to further intimidate this man makes this case even more serious.”

The CPS said hate crimes are motivated by hate, bias or prejudice based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, language, mental or physical disability, sex, age or any other similar factor. The service said only about one in 10 hate-motivated incidents are reported to police.

Officers need the public’s help to find video of the vehicle, asking that people contact them at 403-266-1234 or through Crime Stoppers with tips.

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