Toronto police have apprehended a man who allegedly committed two hate-motivated attacks against Sikh individuals in separate incidents near the city’s waterfront and Union Station.
The first incident occurred on August 29 around 10:40 p.m. when law enforcement responded to reports of a person wielding a knife in the Queens Quay West and Lower Spadina Avenue vicinity. According to investigators, the suspect initiated an unprovoked encounter with two individuals, spewing anti-Sikh remarks and racial slurs before physically assaulting them with a weapon. One victim sustained a non-life-threatening leg injury from the attack.
Further investigation revealed that the same individual was involved in an altercation an hour earlier near Union Station, where he reportedly displayed a knife and directed similar anti-Sikh insults toward another victim, who fortunately was unharmed.
On September 1, Toronto resident Lakshitha Arakmullage, 32, was taken into custody and charged with various offenses, including assault causing bodily harm motivated by hatred, five counts of assault with a weapon motivated by hatred, two counts of carrying a concealed weapon, and two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Arakmullage is set to appear in court on September 4.
Authorities urge anyone with relevant information to reach out to the Toronto Police Service.
