A Vaughan man is charged with assault and breach of probation in a hate-motivated crime investigation following an incident in Thornhill Saturday afternoon.
Police responded to a report of a suspected hate-motivated assault committed by a man against four adults who identify as Jewish on Jan. 6 at about 1:45 p.m., York Regional Police said in a news release.
The victims were walking home from a synagogue near Bathurst Street and Flamingo Road when they were approached by a man on an electric bicycle. The victims told police they had felt intimidated by the manner in which the bike was being operated near them, an argument ensued, and a man spat at them and made antisemitic comments before riding away.
Police have charged Kenneth Jeewan Gobin, 34, with two counts of assault and one count of breach of probation.
"York Regional Police takes these matters seriously and is reminding the community we will not tolerate any form of hate crime or the threat of violence against anyone. All reports of hate crime or hate/bias incidents will be investigated thoroughly," police stated. "If you witness or have been the victim of a hate crime or hate/bias incident, we encourage you to report it to police immediately."
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7441. Anyone wanting to provide information anonymously can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or provide a tip online.
