No indication burglarized flower shop with ties to Ottawa Jewish community was hate-motivated: police
A popular flower shop on Bank Street near Billings Bridge with ties to the Ottawa Jewish community was burglarized and ransacked sometime overnight of Nov. 13.
The Ottawa Police confirmed Tuesday morning that they had responded to a call at that location at around 10 a.m. on Nov. 13.
OPS said in a statement that while the store has close ties to the Jewish community, there is no indication that the incident was hate-motivated at this time.
"Although the store and owner have close ties to the Jewish community, at this time there is no indication that the incident was hate motivated," the statement by police said.
"The break and enter unit is investigating."
Employees for Langdon's Flowers on 1400 Bank Street says they found their store had been destroyed by burglars upon arriving at the store at around 8:30 a.m. on Monday.
Langdon's is a well-known supplier for the majority of synagogues and other Jewish establishments in the Ottawa-area. The burglars took money and some iPads, but many valuables were also left behind.
CTV News Ottawa was at the scene and found plants had been knocked down, destroyed and spray paint had been plastered all over the walls.
- Sign up now for our nightly CTV News Ottawa newsletter
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"Every part of the store has been turned inside out," said Pavel Bogdanov, the owner of Ottawa Flowers which owns Langdon's Flowers.
"To us initially we thought it was a burglary – they took some stuff of value, but there's other things of value that were left behind. The fact that they took their time to spray stuff and really turn the store upside down really made us think that it's more than just a burglary."
Scene of a burglarized flower shop on Bank Street. (Chris Black/CTV News Ottawa)
Bogdanov would not definitively say what the reason was for the burglary.
He says the Ottawa Police Hate Crime Unit was on the scene and officers told him the burglary was suspicious.
"Police spent three or four hours here and they thought it looked like more than just a robbery," Bogdanov said.
CTV News Ottawa attended the scene and found plants had been knocked apart, destroyed and spray paint had been plastered all over the walls. (Chris Black/CTV News Ottawa)
The store is still waiting for adjusters to find the cost of the damage but the owner says the estimated damage is between $50,000 to $100,000.
"It makes me worry for the safety of my team," Bogdanov said.
"They clearly went out of their way to destroy every part, from the garage to the office space. Either kids were having fun or they were trying to make a point."
An investigation into the crime is ongoing.
Correction
A previous version of this story misspelled the owner's name. The change has been made. CTV News Ottawa apologizes for the error.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
NDP house leader says House dysfunction will be a factor in future confidence votes
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Canadian family stuck in Lebanon anxiously awaits flight options amid Israeli strikes
A Canadian man who is trapped in Lebanon with his family says they are anxiously waiting for seats on a flight out of the country, as a barrage of Israeli airstrikes continues.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
BREAKING Jury begins deliberations in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.
BREAKING Here's what the jury didn't hear in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
Yazidi woman captured by ISIS rescued in Gaza after more than a decade in captivity
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman has been rescued from Gaza where she had been held captive by Hamas for years after being trafficked by ISIS.
Scientists looked at images from space to see how fast Antarctica is turning green. Here's what they found
Parts of icy Antarctica are turning green with plant life at an alarming rate as the region is gripped by extreme heat events, according to new research, sparking concerns about the changing landscape on this vast continent.
Suspect in shooting of Toronto cop was out on bail
A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by CTV News Toronto show.