Vancouver police say suspect identified in hate crime investigation

VANCOUVER — Police have identified a suspect in what they say was a racially motivated attack in Vancouver last month.

Vancouver police released video Wednesday of a 92-year-old man being pushed out the door of a convenience store. 

The surveillance video shows the man falling to the ground and hitting his head.

Police say the man who was allegedly attacked on March 13 has severe dementia.

They publicly released details on Wednesday after investigators couldn’t find a suspect.

Police say they are investigating the alleged incident as a hate crime because anti-Asian comments were made along with a mention of COVID-19.

Vancouver police say there has been an increase in reports of hate-motivated incidents and criminal behaviour in recent weeks. The department says 11 hate crimes were reported in March and five of those had an “anti-Asian element.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first reported April 23, 2020.

The Canadian Press