Edmonton Police File Charges in 6 Assaults Believed to Be Hate-Motivated – Edmonton | The Canadian News

Four people have been charged in connection with six assaults in Edmonton over the past few months, all of which police say were motivated by hate.

The charges come as police say hate crimes are up in Edmonton this year. Between January and March of this year, police said 23 hate crimes were reported. That compares with 13 during the same period last year.

“With increasing numbers, our plan is to facilitate greater awareness where possible, as we want citizens to know that this behavior will not be tolerated,” said Sgt. Gary Willits, Hate Crimes Unit.

“It is vitally important that the public report each and every instance of hate, and we are very grateful to those who came forward as witnesses in these files. We want our diverse communities to know that they are valued, and we take these reports very seriously.”

The first assault occurred around 7:15 pm on February 28 at the Southgate LRT station. Police said a South Asian man wearing a turban was waiting on the LRT platform when an unknown man approached him.

Police said the defendant spat on the victim and made racial comments towards him. The victim attempted to follow the suspect when he called police, at which point the defendant approached the man and threatened to beat him, police said in a news release Wednesday.

Andrew Antonius Debrouwer, 34, of Edmonton, is charged in this case with two counts of assault.

A 17-year-old, whose name cannot be identified under the Juvenile Criminal Justice Act, was charged after an incident that occurred at a drive-thru in north Edmonton around 4 a.m. on March 1.

Police allege the youth made racial comments and spat at a black and Southeast Asian staff member. The young man is charged with two counts of assault.

The following incident occurred in the McCauley area around 4:40 pm on April 2. Police said a black woman and a white man were walking with their baby in a stroller when they were approached by a man who allegedly began racially abusing them. . Ultimately, police said the defendant pointed a gun at the couple.

The family was able to escape, but saw the defendant driving through the neighborhood. The Edmonton Police Service tactical unit was brought in and arrested the man without incident. Police said they searched a residence where a replica firearm was found.

A 39-year-old man was charged in this incident with two counts of criminal harassment, assault with a weapon, making threats, using an imitation firearm while committing an indictable felony, as well as one count of possession of an offensive weapon dangerous to the public.

Police said the man died and his name will not be released.

The following three incidents occurred between April 14 and 17, and police charged one person in connection with all three attacks.

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Just before 7:40 p.m. on April 14, police said a black man was walking in the area of ​​118th Avenue when he was approached by an unknown person. The defendant allegedly walked up to the man, cursed at him, punched him, and then left the area.

At approximately 1:50 p.m. on April 17, a black man was walking in the same area when police say the defendant pushed the man to the ground and punched and kicked him. Bystanders stopped their vehicles and chased the defendant away, police said.

Later that day, around 4:30 p.m., police said the defendant walked up to another black man in the same area and hit him in the head with a pipe. The defendant was apprehended a short distance away.

Gabriel Dale Cardinal, 46, is charged in connection with all three incidents. He was charged with two counts of assault, assault with a weapon, criminal harassment, possession of an offensive weapon and a condition violation.

Police said victims in all of these incidents have been offered support through EPS’ crime and trauma informed support services.

The EPS said that in each of the cases, the hate crimes and violent extremism unit recommends that Section 718.2 of the Criminal Code of Canada be applied.

This allows courts to consider higher sentences when there is evidence that the crime was motivated by hate.

When it comes to the rise in hate crimes in Edmonton, Willits said it’s a combination of more incidents and more people coming forward.

“We are seeing an increase in reports. We are doing more in the area of ​​community outreach. It has been a goal of ours to let communities know that they are valued and the importance of reporting,” he explained.

“But I have to say there is an increase in violence across the city and I think it’s a bit of both.”

As for why it’s happening, that’s the hardest question to answer.

“It’s the million dollar question. We’re seeing it all over the city and all service areas are affected,” Willits said. “It is very worrying, but I cannot specify it. We are obviously keeping our minds open to possible solutions. That is why we try to work closely with our communities to see if they are also identifying the possible causes. At this point, it is not conclusive for us.”

He said police talk to defendants in cases like this and find that their motivations are very diverse.

“We try to assess every individual we deal with. We want to know their background, if they are connected to any group, what are their ideologies? Is this a coordinated event? Are they a solo actor? What was your motivation?

“Some have been very forthright, they have racial beliefs and they are hurt and upset about maybe the trauma that they have faced and are acting out. Some refuse to comment, and then we have some individuals who don’t even remember the situation because maybe at the time of the event there may be a contributing factor like… dependency issues or maybe mental health.”

The EPS said it recognizes that hate crimes not only harm victims, but have an impact on larger communities that may feel unsafe and not trust others.

“We have communities that are living in fear and these are people who are not attending their places of worship, who are not wearing religious clothing, who are not leaving their homes,” Willits said. “We are trying to increase the sense of security, we need to increase the awareness of our communities because our communities are the ones that will make the difference.

“The solution for this is not jail. I understand that for community safety we need to hold people accountable and sometimes people need to be protected, but the big picture is how do we solve this in a global picture? Because we have several people suffering and we are trying to find the solution of how we can make them contribute to society again.”

Anyone affected by a hate crime can connect with EPS’ crime and trauma informed support services by email or by calling 780-421-2217.

Anyone who is the victim of a hate crime should report it to the police by calling 911 if it is an emergency, or by calling 780-423-4567. Anonymous information can be reported through Crime Stoppers.