50-year-old man assaulted in hate-motivated incident in Westdale

Hamilton police are searching for one suspect following a hate-motivated assault on a 50-year-old man in Westdale on Sunday.

Police say the victim was walking on Sterling Ave. near Cline Ave. North around 5 p.m. when a male suspect allegedly directed racial slurs at him and then assaulted him.

The suspect is described as a White man, 35 to 40-years-old, six-foot-two and about 250 lbs. He was wearing a thin, blue or green winter jacket.

The suspect was last seen running on Paisley Ave. North towards Dromore Cres.

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Police say the suspect and the victim are not known to each other and this is being investigated as a hate crime.

“Hate crime in Hamilton is not acceptable. Left unchecked, hate crime can have a far reaching impact on communities,” police say.

Detectives ask businesses and residents in the area to check their security cameras between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday for any suspicious activity.

Anyone with information that could help police with this investigation is encouraged to contact Det. Fabiano Mendes at 905-546-5678.