18-year-old arrested in Kingston after hate-based assault at library

Kingston Police are underlining their zero-tolerance policy on hate-based incidents after an 18-year-old was arrested following an assault in a public library in the city’s west end.

At approximately 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, police were called to the Isabel Turner branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, located off of Gardiners Road just south of the Cataraqui Centre.

According to Kingston Police, officers on scene determined that an 18-year-old had been the victim of an “unprovoked attack,” which resulted in minor injuries.

“Through further investigation it was discovered that the motivation for the attack was hate based and that the accused [individual] made several hate motivated remarks while assaulting the victim,” police said in a press release on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. Police noted that the accused individual and the victim were not known to one another, and that the incident had been captured on security camera footage, which assisted in identifying the assailant.

As a result, the accused 18-year-old was arrested the following week on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. They were taken to Kingston Police Headquarters and charged with assault, and mischief under $5,000.

“The Kingston Police [Force] has zero tolerance for any incident of hate or bias, and we encourage residents to contact us so that we can assign officers to investigate. We appreciate your cooperation in helping to eliminate these types of incidents from our communities,” police relayed.

Police also asked anyone who has been a victim of what they perceive to be a hate motivated incident to report those incidents by calling Kingston Police at 613-549-4660 ext. 0. In the event of an emergency, dial 911.

Further information regarding hate-motivated incidents through Kingston Police can be found on their Equity Diversity Inclusion Indigenization (EDII) page, which contains information on what constitutes hate/bias motivated crimes and incidents. The page also outlines the Kingston Police Reassurance Program, where “lines of communication are established between victims of such offences,” as well as a glossary of commonly used terms, and “future updates on progression with community consultations and the Community Inclusion Council,” police said.