Calgary police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man accused of verbally harassing and physically threatening another man inside a grocery store last December.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, Dec. 31, around 11:30 a.m. at the T & T Supermarket on Heritage Meadows Way S.E.
According to police, the suspect allegedly overheard the victim speaking Ukrainian on the phone before approaching him and making verbal threats inside the store.
As the victim left the supermarket, the suspect is said to have retrieved a knife from his truck and confronted the man again, threatening to harm him while referencing the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The victim returned to the store, where security staff assisted him and called the police. The suspect fled before officers arrived.
Investigators have reviewed CCTV footage and pursued all leads but have been unable to identify the suspect.
Police describe him as a light-skinned man in his 50s, wearing blue jeans, a dark jacket, and a baseball cap featuring Russian symbols. He was seen driving a black or dark blue Nissan Frontier with a detachable Russian flag clipped to the driver’s side door.
While any evidence of a hate motivation is determined by the courts after a conviction, such a finding can result in an increased sentence.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.calgarycrimestoppers.org.