Police release images of suspect in Arabic shop pepper-spray attack

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London police on Friday released images of a suspect in a pepper-spray attack on two employees at an Arabic grocery store.

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Officers responded around 4 p.m. Thursday to a report of an assault in progress at a business on Wilkins Street, west of Wellington Road, where a male suspect entered the store and sprayed an employee with pepper spray, police said.

A second employee tried to stop the attack and he was also sprayed, police said. The attacker fled the store before officers arrive and both employees were taken to the hospital to be assessed. 

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“While there is nothing to suggest that the assault was hate-motivated at this time, investigators are looking into all possibilities,” police spokesperson Sgt. Sandasha Bough said Friday.

But the owner of Mona’s Fine Meats at 699 Wilkins St., a grocer that sells Halal meat and Arabic-style groceries, said he believes his store was intentionally targeted by the man who walked directly behind the meat counter and sprayed a man and woman working while two customers were inside the store. 

“We believe this was a targeted attack because of the store or the people here.” owner Abdul Almestiri said.

“He came, sprayed and left,” Almestiri said of the suspect, adding the suspect didn’t steal anything before running away through the parking lot. 

The store was closed after the attack but had reopened Friday.

Police released two images of the suspect, who was wearing a black sweater, pants, balaclava, shoes and what appeared to be safety glasses.

The incident comes one month after a Muslim family was targeted in an alleged hate-motivated attack in a downtown park that drew condemnation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mayor Josh Morgan.

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A suspect approached a man who was with his family at Ivey Park, west of York and Thames streets, around 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 and made derogatory comments before assaulting the man, police said at the time. Investigators determined the assault was hate-motivated and released a photograph of the suspect. A man, 61, was arrested four days later and charged with assault.

Hate crimes are offences committed against a person or property motivated by hate, bias or prejudice based on real or perceived factors. There’s no specific charge for a hate crime in Canada, but Crown attorneys can prosecute incidents as hate crimes, a factor considered in sentencing.

Investigators are asking anyone who was in the area at the time of the pepper-spray attack, including anyone with dash-camera or surveillance video, to contact London police at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

dcarruthers@postmedia.com

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