An investigation by the Kingston police hate crimes officer and youth officer has led to the arrest of two teens in relation to a “hate/bias-motivated incident.”
According to police, the first incident occurred on Jan. 16, when the victim boarded a Kingston Transit bus and sat near the back. While the victim was seated alone, two teens approached and began harassing the victim. The older teen made a racial slur and with the encouragement of the younger one began touching and slapping the victim’s head.
On Jan. 30, the victim was on another Kingston Transit bus when the same two teens came on board. After a confrontation, the victim overhead a threatening remark while exiting the bus.
With the assistance of Kingston Transit, the teens were identified by Kingston police and on Feb. 2, both were located and arrested. They were transported to police headquarters, where they were later released with a future court date.
A 14-year-old and a 13-year-old, both locals, were charged with assault and harassment by threatening conduct.
Anyone with information is asked to please contact Det. Stefan Walker at 613-549-4660 ext. 6332 or via email at swalker@kingstonpolice.ca.