Toronto Police Service
www.tps.ca
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News Release
Suspected Hate-Motivated Assault with a Weapon Investigation, Wynford Drive and Wynford Heights Crescent area, Man Arrested
Broadcast time: 04:41 PM
Date: Monday, Apr 15, 2024
Unit: Intelligence Services
Case #: 2024-777629
The Toronto Police Service is making the public aware of an arrest made in a suspected hate-motivated assault with a weapon investigation.
On Thursday April 11, 2024, officers responded to an assault with a weapon call in the Wynford Drive and Wynford Heights Crescent area.
It is alleged that:
the accused attended a store and made xenophobic remarks towards the victim
the victim was wearing a turban and is of South Asian ethnicity
the accused proceeded to throw an object at the victim
the accused then fled the scene
On Saturday April 13, 2024, Nikolin Kristofori, 54, of Toronto, was arrested and charged with:
Assault with a weapon
He is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice, 10 Armoury Street, on Friday, May 24, 2024, at 2 p.m., in room 205.
This investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-3500, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.
When suspected hate-motivated offences are reported to police, the investigation could be led by a Divisional investigator with the support of the Hate Crime Unit (HCU), or in some cases, will be investigated exclusively by the HCU.
If it is alleged a criminal offence was committed (such as assault or mischief) and it is believed to have been motivated by bias, prejudice or hate, the officer-in-charge may consult with the Crown. If a person is charged and convicted of the offence, the Judge will take into consideration hate as an aggravating factor when imposing a sentence.
Wilful promotion of hatred and advocating genocide are hate propaganda (hate speech) offences which require the Attorney General’s consent to lay charges. These charges are often laid at a later time.
Constable Laurie McCann for Detective Kiran Bisla
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https://www.tps.ca/
