Hamilton police (HPS) say no charges will be laid in a hate bias incident between a pair of motorists on the city’s east side shared in a social media post Monday afternoon.
Investigators say the occurrence happened Sunday near the intersection of Main Street East and Ottawa Street North. It involves a man “aggressively” approaching occupants of another vehicle while in traffic.
“He accuses the driver of cutting him off and makes a derogatory slur towards the unknown couple as he moves back towards his vehicle,” a police spokesperson said in a release.
On Tuesday afternoon, HPS spokesperson Jackie Penman told Global News both individuals involved had come forward and investigators determined nothing criminal had taken place.
“The incident will be classified as a hate bias incident.” Penman said in an email.
“It was important for police to understand what took place before, during and after the incident to ensure there was nothing criminal that wasn’t captured on video.”
Penman went on to say police interest in the matter was to record a hate bias incident alleging they are “under reported” in the city.
“It is important for every incident to be captured in order to give us an idea about what hate looks like in our community,” said Penman.
“This allows us to be able to put the right supports and strategies in place to combat hate in Hamilton.”