Calgary police are asking for the public’s help to identify a man believed to be responsible for vandalizing a statue outside a church..Police say it is believed a man approached the front of Sacred Heart Church on 14 St. S.W. and caused property damage to a religious statue on September 1. It said the man fled the scene on foot. .The suspect is described as 5-ft. 11-ins., possible tattoos on his left arm, and a slim build. He was wearing an orange T-shirt, baseball cap, sunglasses, dark construction pants, and construction boots. .Calgary’s police hate crimes and extremism team is investigating the incident, and it remains unclear what motivated the vandalism. .Calgary police said the incident could be a hate crime. If the judge decides during sentencing hate was a motivation for the offence, it is an aggravating factor adding to the convicted person’s sentence..Anyone with any information about this incident or the suspect’s identity is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. .This incident resembles the multiple occasions in 2021 where there were church attacks across Calgary. .READ MORE: Calgary police release photos of church arsonist, vandals.Police began investigating after orange and red graffiti was seen on the exterior of 11 churches during the night. One occasion involved a window being smashed so paint could be thrown inside. .“After weeks of investigating a series of church vandalisms that have left many in our city feeling unsafe, including a church fire that is believed to have been deliberately set, police are now turning to the public for help in hopes of identifying several suspects believed to be involved,” said Calgary police.
