Peterborough police dealt with a pair of hate crimes on the weekend, leading to the arrest of one person and the search for three other suspects.
At around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, officers said there was an altercation at a residence in the area of Chemong Road and Broadway Boulevard. Police said a verbal argument led to a physical altercation and that the accused made “derogatory comments” to the victim.
Due to comments made at the time of the offence, police have classified the incident as a hate crime, police said Monday.
A hate crime is a criminal offence committed against a person or property that is motivated by an offender’s hate bias towards a racial, religious, ethnic, sexual orientation or disability group.
Police say the suspect and victim were treated by paramedics at the scene.
A 31-year-old Peterborough woman was charged with assault and mischief under $5,000.
She was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court in Peterborough on June 28.
Skateboard swung
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On Friday at around 5 p.m., officers responded to an assault reported in the area of George and King streets.
Police said a woman was waiting for a shuttle when she was approached by an unknown man. A verbal argument ensued between two males when the woman attempted to intervene. Police say the suspect held up a skateboard in a threatening manner and “made derogatory comments based on the colour of her skin.”
“The suspect then attempted to take a swing at the victim before fleeing the area with two other people,” police said.
The victim was not injured. Officers canvassed the area but a suspect was not located.
The suspect was described to police as a man in his early 20s with a medium build and short, light hair. He was wearing a dark hoodie, possibly grey in colour, shorts which were believed to be either dark or jeans, and a ball cap of unknown colour. He was carrying a longboard skateboard.
The two other males are in their late teens to early 20s and were with the suspect. Both were described as having dark, medium-length hair and a medium build and each was carrying a longboard skateboard. One was wearing a dark ball cap, dark hoodie, dark pants and white shoes. The other was wearing a dark grey hoodie, black shorts, a dark coloured ball cap and white shoes.
Anyone with information can call Peterborough police at 705-876-1122 ext. 555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit stopcrimehere.ca to submit a tip online.
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