A man is in custody after spitting and yelling racial slurs at a woman and four children at Quadra Elementary school Tuesday afternoon.
An off-duty officer first noticed the man, shirtless and acting erratically, in the 3000-block of Quadra Street around noon. The officer saw the man yelling and gesturing aggressively at a man and his child, who quickly moved away and were unharmed.
The officer called for backup and followed the man, who was heading toward Quadra Elementary. The man grabbed a broom handle and approached a woman who was pushing a stroller and walking with four children. He spat at the family, narrowly missing a child, and yelled racial slurs at them. When the off-duty officer approached him, he attacked and damaged the office’s car.
Uniformed officers arrived and arrested the man moments later. Police are recommending charges of assault and mischief. The incident is being treated as a hate-motivated crime, police said.
Although B.C. has seen a significant increase in hate-motivated crimes, police said they have not seen similar increases in Victoria and Esquimalt. The file remains under investigation.
Anyone with information about the incident who has not spoken to officers is asked to call the VicPD Report Desk at 250-995-7654 extension 1. To make an anonymous report, call Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
