OTTAWA -- Ottawa police are investigating two hate-motivated incidents targeting Asian men in the past week.
The first incident, on Thursday, happened outside a restaurant on Strandherd Drive around 8 p.m.
The complainant was eating when he noticed a white Chevrolet Equinox pulling up next to his vehicle, which was parked out front. The driver, described as a 45-60 year old white man, began spitting all over the complainant’s vehicle. When confronted by the complainant, the man drove off, police said.
In the second incident, on Friday, the complainant was entering a store at the Rideau Centre when a man told him “being forced to wear a mask makes me want to kill Asians.”
The victim, photojournalist Justin Tang, tweeted about the incident.
In that case, the suspect is described as a white man in his 40s, five-foot-10, with a thin build and brown hair.
“The Ottawa Police is aware of similar incidents in other jurisdictions,” police said. “In partnership with the community, the Service takes these incidents very seriously and they will be fully investigated.”
Data from law enforcement and Chinese-Canadian groups has shown an increase in anti-Asian hate incidents in Canada since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
