‘We have communities living in fear’: Edmonton police lay charges in six incidents believed to be hate motivated

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The number of hate-motivated crimes in Edmonton are increasing at an “alarming rate,” police say, with nearly double the number of attacks in the first quarter of 2022 compared to last year.

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In the first quarter of 2022 hate-motivated crimes in Edmonton were up to 23, compared to 13 the previous year. Sgt. Gary Willits, with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) hate crimes and violent extremism unit (HCVEU), said the increase is noticeable.

“We have communities living in fear and these are people not attending their places of worship, not wearing their religious clothing, people not leaving their homes and we’re trying to increase the sense of security,” said Willits during a Wednesday afternoon media availability .

All those subject to the attacks are being offered support through the EPS Crime and Trauma-Informed Support Service, police said.

Willits said police try to assess every individual they deal with and they want to know about their background, any groups they might be a part of, what their ideologies are or if they event was coordinated.

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“We try to find that out with each individual,” he said.

“Some have been very blunt, they do have racial beliefs and they’re hurting and they’re upset for maybe trauma they’ve encountered themselves and they’re acting out. Some refused to comment, and then we have some individuals that don’t even recall the situation because perhaps at the time of the event there may have been contributing factors such as … dependency issues, or perhaps mental health.”

Charges laid in six attacks

The EPS and the HCVEU have laid charges in six incidents, including an assault with a pipe, believed to be motivated by hate following a lengthy investigation.

The HCVEU is recommending Section 718.2 of the Criminal Code of Canada be applied to all instances, allowing the courts to consider increased sentencing with evidence the offenses were hate-motivated.

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Around 7:15 pm on Feb. 28, police said a South Asian man wearing a turban was waiting on the Southgate LRT platform when the accused reportedly approached the man, spat on him and made racial comments. When the victim attempted to follow the suspect as he called police, the suspect moved toward the man and threatened to punch him.

Andrew Antonius Debrouwer, 34, who was unknown to the victim, was charged with two counts of assault, police said.

In the evening of April 2, a black woman and white man were walking with their infant in a stroller in the McCauley area when the accused reportedly began uttering racial slurs at the couple, eventually pointing a firearm toward them. Police said the couple fled the area but saw the 39-year-old man driving around the neighborhood. The suspect surrendered without incident and a search warrant on the residence found the gun to be a replica.

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The man is charged with two counts each of criminal harassment, assault with a weapon, uttering threats, use of imitation firearm while committing an indictable offense and one count of possessing offensive weapon dangerous to public. Police are not releasing the suspect’s name as he has since died.

The EPS said a 46-year-old man has been charged in relation to three separate hate-motivated incidents.

Around 7:39 pm on April 14, a black man was walking in the Alberta Avenue area when the allegedly walked up to him, swore at him and then punched him before leaving the area.

Three days later, another black man was walking in the same area when the suspect reportedly pushed him to the ground and began punching and kicking him around 1:50 pm Drivers stopped their vehicles and chased the man away, police said.

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Also on April 17, around 4:30 pm, a black man was also in the 118 Avenue area where the suspect allegedly walked up to the victim and, without warning, struck him on the head with a pipe.

Police said Gabriel Dale Cardinal was arrested a short distance away from the third incident and has been charged with two counts of assault, assault with a weapon, criminal harassment, possession of an offensive weapon and one breach of condition in relation to the three offenses. The EPS added Cardinal was unknown to the three men attacked.

Another incident occurred on March 1 around 4 am where a 17-year-old boy was in the drive-through at a north Edmonton restaurant. The teen reportedly made racial comments and spit on a southeast Asian and black staff member, police said. The youth cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

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Police in the Edmonton area issued public statements on 11 allegedly hate-motivated crimes between December 2020 and February 2022. Unlike the recent string of incidents, the victims in those cases were largely Black and/or Muslim women who cover their heads for religious reasons. In all but two of those initial cases, the accused were homeless or of no fixed address, and dealing with mental health and addiction issues.

Willits said the community is what will make a difference in these types of crimes. He added communities have been “instrumental” in solving some of the files, more awareness needs to be raised and more needs to be done.

— With files from Jonny Wakefield

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