A Toronto Man Ripped Off A Cars Ukrainian Flag & Smashed Its Window In Traffic (VIDEO)
The man was charged for a possible “hate-motivated” crime.
York Regional Police arrested a 32-year-old man from Markham for a potential "hate-motivated" crime against an individual who had a Ukrainian flag on their vehicle, showing their support for Ukraine.
On February 27, the victim of the incident was driving in the Bathurst Street and Steeles Avenue area in Vaughan, and they were cut off by a red Range Rover, which stopped in front of them in the middle of traffic, according to a press release.
Police say a man came out of the Range Rover and proceeded to tear off the Ukrainian flag from the victim's vehicle and smash one of the windows.
A video of the incident was posted to Facebook by the victim. It showed the Range Rover skidding to a halt in front of the vehicle before an individual in a green jacket came around from the driver's side and smashed the vehicle's back window, where a young child was seated.
The post says that the individuals inside the vehicle are "ok," although their "kids are a bit shaken up."
The victim's Facebook post provides more details into the incident, and allegedly, the altercation with the individual in the red Ranger Rover started before the cameras started rolling.
"As we approached the intersection of Bathurst and Townsgate and stopped at the red light, the passenger of the red car got out of their vehicle and waited until we approach them. Once the green light turned on, the individual broke off the Ukrainian flag off my car and threw it on the ground," reads the post.
"I stopped, got out of my vehicle and broke off their flag as the red car tried to flee. After I broke off their Russian flag, they drove in front of me, and the rest you can see on the video," they added.
Police say the Markham man has been charged with "Mischief Under $5,000" and may be involved in "at least one other incident in the City of Toronto."
The suspect has not been named as they have "a significant mental health issue."
York Regional Police reiterated in their press release that they do not "tolerate hate crime in any form."
