Man charged following anti-Asian ‘hate-motivated assaults,’ Toronto police say

A 26-year-old man has been charged following three anti-Asian “hate-motivated assaults,” Toronto police say.

All three incidents took place at subway stations around Toronto between April 9 and April 11.

On April 16, police told Global News the assaults targeted members of the Asian community. All three incidents involved a male suspect reportedly spitting at a victim. In one instance, police said the suspect yelled racial slurs at a woman.

Investigators said in a release on Friday that after “consultation with the service’s specialized hate crime unit, the assaults were being treated as suspected hate crimes.”

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Police said officers arrested Joseph O’Sullivan Martinez on Wednesday.

He was charged with two counts of causing a disturbance, four counts of assault, 10 counts of failing to comply with probation and five counts of breach of recognizance.

He was scheduled to appear in a Toronto court on Friday.

Anyone with information about these or any other incidents is asked to contact police at 416-808-1100 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.

—With files from Ryan Rocca