Hamilton man arrested in hate crime incident aboard bus

Hamilton police are investigating an alleged hate incident on a local transit bus. Photo: Prism Video.

By John Marchesan

Posted August 3, 2022 4:55 pm.

A 41-year-old Hamilton man is under arrest and is facing hate crime charges following an incident aboard a public transit bus earlier in the week.

Police say a video posted online shows a man making transphobic and homophobic slurs towards two unknown people on a Hamilton Street Railway bus on August 1. He then goes on to direct several other racial slurs to other passengers as he leaves the bus in the area of Gage Park at the Lawrence Road entrance.

Police said they were made aware of the social media post through an online reporting tool by a third party in another province as well as a local media outlet.

RELATED: COVID pandemic ‘exposed and exacerbated’ discrimination in Canada: Statistics Canada

Christopher Pretula from Hamilton is facing charges of assault and uttering threats. The Hate Crime Unit has also applied to have this classified as a hate crime offence because of the perception the victims belong to an identified group.

Police say the investigation is ongoing and are asking for any additional witnesses who may have recordings or information to get in touch with them.

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