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Suspect sought in hate crime at Vancouver’s Chinese Cultural Centre

Click to play video: 'Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre attacked with racist vandalism'
Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre attacked with racist vandalism
WATCH: Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre attacked with racist vandalism – May 1, 2020

Vancouver police are looking for a suspect in a recent hate crime at the Chinese Cultural Centre on the Downtown Eastside.

The suspect is believed to have walked into the centre’s courtyard on April 2 and defaced four large windows with what police call “disturbing, racist remarks towards the Asian community.”

Click to play video: 'Vancouver police seek help in identifying hate crime suspect'
Vancouver police seek help in identifying hate crime suspect
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The suspect is described as Caucasian with a thin build, wearing a black jacket, black pants and grey running shoes. He was also wearing a black baseball cap with writing on the front and had a black and white bandanna covering his nose and mouth.

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Police said they have seen a large increase in recent weeks in reports of anti-Asian hate-motivated incidents. Eleven of the 15 hate crimes reported in April had an anti-Asian element.

Twenty anti-Asian hate crimes have been reported to Vancouver police so far this year, compared to 12 in all of 2019.

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“It’s disheartening to report that these types of crimes are ongoing during the pandemic,” Const. Tania Visintin, said in a release. “Our department takes crimes with such hate attached extremely seriously.”

Anyone with information about this incident on April 2 is asked to call Vancouver police at 604-717-2773 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Photos of the suspect provided by Vancouver police:

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