Police probe hate crime after woman allegedly hurls racist slurs at teens on bus
Hurls #Hurls
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Calgary police are investigating a possible hate crime after a woman allegedly hurled racist slurs at two teenagers on a Calgary Transit bus last week.
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Investigators are turning to the public to identify the woman involved in what police are describing as a hate-motivated incident.
Two 13-year-old girls were travelling on a bus from the Somerset-Bridlewood CTrain station to the community of Silverado around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 11.
Police say they believe an unknown woman approached the teens while they were sitting on the bus and began speaking aggressively to them, yelling racial slurs at the girls.
In a news release, Calgary Police Service Const. Matt Messenger said the incident was unprovoked and left the victims scared and upset. Police say they believe the teens were targeted for their race.
“Harassment against anyone in our city will not be tolerated,” said Messenger, with the Calgary police hate crimes and extremism unit.
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“Every Calgarian has the right to feel safe in our city while using public transit. We are asking anyone who witnessed this incident or who has information about the suspect to come forward.”
Police released images of the woman who allegedly harassed the teens.
She is described as about 30 years old, five feet eight inches tall and 140 pounds with a slim build and light-coloured hair. She was seen wearing a pink shirt, a light-brown sweater, dark pants and sunglasses, and was carrying a large blue suitcase and a black backpack.
Police said hate crimes are defined as those where the offender is motivated by a bias or a prejudice based on personal characteristics of the victim, which can include their ethnicity.
Those with information about the suspect are asked to call the police non-emergency line at 403-266-1234, or submit tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.calgarycrimestoppers.org.
Police also advised victims of hate crimes or any other crimes can contact the victim assistant support team at 403-428-8398 to receive support.
jherring@postmedia.com
Twitter: @jasonfherring