Police looking for three suspects in October Chinatown statue vandalism
The Ottawa Police Service is looking to identify three suspects who broke two statues in Chinatown on Oct. 8.
Police say three suspects damaged two statues in the 700 block of Somerset Street W between the hours of 10 and 11 p.m. The suspects allegedly kicked both statues and caused them to break.
The Chinatown BIA posted surveillance video on social media showing individuals pushing and kicking down two yellow deer statues. The video was timestamped at 10:25 p.m.
The suspects then left the area on foot.
Chinatown BIA executive director Yukang Li said in October that this kind of vandalism has been an ongoing problem.
"My heart was broken when I first saw it. This is a repeated vandalism that has been happening in Chinatown," said Li.
"The whole project was completed in March and since then we have been seeing damages to these selfie-stations which was not easy to bring into Chinatown."
Suspect one is described as a dark-skinned male with medium-sized build. He was wearing a red Nike hooded sweatshirt and light jeans.
The second suspect is described as a white male, medium build with short brown hair. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants and a black Chicago White Sox cap.
There is no description for the third suspect.
Over the summer, people were caught on camera stealing two dinosaur statues from Chinatown and later returning them in the middle of the night. It was just one case of many, as other statues in the neighbourhood had been damaged.
The artwork was installed in February and cost $200,000, BIA officials said in July. It was funded through government grants as part of a revitalization effort.
There are at least eight groups of statues placed along Somerset Street between Bronson Avenue and Preston Street. They range from iconic Chinese pandas to popular characters drawing from Asian culture.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
N.S. Progressive Conservatives win second majority government; NDP to form opposition
For the second time in a row, Tim Houston's Progressive Conservatives have won a majority government in Nova Scotia. But this time, the NDP will form the official opposition.
Paul Bernardo denied parole after victims' families plead he be kept behind bars
Notorious killer and rapist Paul Bernardo has been denied parole for a third time after the families of his victims made an emotional plea to the Parole Board of Canada on Tuesday to keep him behind bars.
'We would likely go out of business': Canadian business owners sound the alarm over Trump's tariffs
Business leaders across Canada are voicing concerns and fear over the widespread impact increased tariffs could have on their companies and workers, with some already looking to boost sales in other markets in the event their products become too expensive to sell to American customers.
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire takes effect
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden said both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the United States and France.
Longtime member of Edmonton theatre community dies during 'A Christmas Carol' performance
Edmonton's theatre community is in mourning after an actor died during a performance of "A Christmas Carol" at the Citadel Theatre on Sunday.
'We need to address those issues': Alberta Premier Danielle Smith won't denounce Trump tariff threat
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says Canada should address U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's border concerns in the next two months, before he's back in the White House, instead of comparing our situation to Mexico's and arguing the tariff threats are unjustified.
Loonie tanks after Trump threatens tariffs on Canadian goods
The Canadian dollar fell to its lowest level since May 2020 after Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian goods shipped to the United States once he takes office in January.
Should Canada retaliate if Trump makes good on 25 per cent tariff threat?
After U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports on his first day back in the White House unless his border concerns are addressed, there is mixed reaction on whether Canada should retaliate.
'We need to do better': Canadian leaders respond to Trump's border concerns
As U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatens Canada with major tariffs, sounding alarms over the number of people and drugs illegally crossing into America, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and some premiers say they agree that more could be done.