Police seek persons of interest in spit incident
Alleged assault at Pride crosswalk took place Aug. 1
Calgary police are trying to identify three persons of interest in a case in which a local drag king reported being spat on while filming a video on the Stephen Avenue Pride crosswalk.
CPS renewed their call for public tips in that case Tuesday, a little more than a week after they said they were investigating three potentially hate-motivated incidents against LGBTQ Calgarians.
Police released stills from video footage of the Aug. 1 spitting incident showing three men. Anyone who recognizes any of the people in the images can contact the CPS non-emergency line or report a tip anonymously through Crime
We are trying to establish what happened and the motivation behind it. It will take time to complete this.
Stoppers.
“We encourage anyone who has been targeted for ill treatment or a crime because of their sexual orientation, gender, race, religion or some other similar trait to report it to us,” police said in a statement. “Reporting incidents allows us to investigate and hold the people responsible accountable.”
In a separate incident, police have identified the suspects allegedly connected to the assault of a same-sex couple in Kensington.
In that case, police said the couple was walking near the intersection of 9th Street and Memorial Drive N.W. around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 3 when they were allegedly assaulted by two men on scooters, using rocks, a belt and a recycling bin as weapons.
CPS spokesperson Corwin Odland said in a statement Tuesday that police are asking the public for patience as they collect and process evidence.
“This investigation is complex as the people involved have different versions of events. We are trying to establish what happened and the motivation behind it. It will take time to complete this and it needs to be done in a way that is fair to everyone involved.”
Police shared images of the suspects last week in an effort to identify them, and reports have since emerged about people being targeted for harassment due to a case of mistaken identity.
“Information from the public is vital in the investigation and resolution of many cases and we appreciate that incidents like the alleged assault are of high interest to the public,” Odland said. “However, members of the public trying to address these incidents through vigilante action or public shaming usually does more harm than good and can hurt innocent people.”
Police also said they’re investigating a reported assault in which a group of people attacked a man while using homophobic slurs near the intersection of 17th Avenue and 12th Street S.W. around midday on July 31.
Police say that if Calgarians feel uncomfortable reporting a hate-motivated incident through “traditional channels,” they can reach out to the CPS diversity resource team or hate crimes co-ordinator at 403-428-8399.