Third alleged hate-motivated assault leads to charges against man, 38

City police have charged a man after investigating a third alleged hate-motivated attack in Edmonton in the past two weeks.

EPS Northwest division beat officers responded to a report of an assault in the Parkdale neighbourhood around 10 p.m. Wednesday, according to a Friday news release.

It was reported to police that a black man was walking on a residential street near his home when another man approached him yelling racially motivated insults.

The suspect pushed the man without provocation, police said.

The man began to ran away, fearing for his life. The suspect chased him, uttering death threats, and followed the victim to his backyard.

EPS officers who were in the area on an unrelated matter saw the chase and drove to the area to assist.

A witness helped the officers find the two men before they intervened, stopping the assault.

EMS attended to treat the 48-year-old complainant for nonlife threatening injuries.

Police have charged 38-year-old Joseph Gladue with uttering death threats and assault causing bodily harm.

The EPS Hate Crimes and Violent Extremism Unit is recommending that Section 718.2 of the Criminal Code be applied in the case, allowing for harsher sentences to be considered by the court.

Faisal Suri, president of the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council (AMPAC), said his team has spoken to the complainant, who is now worried for his life and the well-being of his family.

As a father and a husband, Suri said the man fears that he could've contracted COVID-19 during the assault and brought it home to his family.

“There's a lot of emotional trauma that they're going through. He feared for his life,” said Suri. “This could be anyone's son, or daughter or mother or wife or sister, who could get attacked for no reason.”

The man is not currently speaking to media, however AMPAC released a statement attributed to him saying he does not feel safe in his neighbourhood.

He said he could defend himself but his son, or the mother who lives across the street with her two daughters, wouldn't have been able to.

This is the third assault that has an alleged element of racism involved to take place in the city this month.

A 23-year-old Black woman wearing a hijab was approached by a woman as she walked through the Southgate LRT southeast doors around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The suspect allegedly yelled hate-filled obscenities and tried to hit the woman in the head with a shopping bag.

Rene Ladouceur, 32, has been charged with assault with a weapon and has nine outstanding warrants for unrelated events.

On Dec. 8, two Black women, also both wearing hijabs, were approached by a man as they sat in their vehicle at the Southgate Mall parking lot.

The man was yelling racist obscenities before he punched the passenger door and broke the window, police said.

The woman in the passenger side of the vehicle attempted to run away before she was pushed to the ground and assaulted.

The second woman tried to intervene before she too was pushed to the ground.

Witnesses intervened and stopped the attack before police arrived on the scene.

Richard Bradley Stevens, 41, was arrested and charged with two counts of assault and one count of mischief.

Police said they do not believe any of the attacks are connected.