A suspect is wanted after a Toronto taxi driver was sprayed in the face with an unknown substance in what police are calling a hate-motivated assault.
On Wednesday, shortly before 4:30 a.m., Toronto police responded to a call for an assault in the area of Front and Yonge streets.
Police say a man was driving a cab in the area when he rolled down his window and asked the suspect if he needed a ride. The suspect then asked the driver if he was Muslim before spraying the driver in the face with an unknown substance, police said in a news release on Wednesday.
The suspect then fled the scene.
CTV News spoke with the victim who described the interaction.
“He (the suspect) just looking to me and say, ‘You are Muslim?’ I say, ‘Yeah, I am Muslim.’ And he [throws] something on my eyes and using f-words,” the victim, who was identified as Bilal, told the news outlet.
Bilal said he called 911 immediately after being sprayed and was taken to hospital where he had his eyes flushed out.
Police described the suspect as a white man, between 20 and 30 years old, standing at six feet tall, wearing a black coat and black pants.
Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to contact police at 416-808-3500 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
This hate-motivated assault is one of many that have been reported to police over the last month, amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Last month, Toronto police expanded its presence across the city, including to cultural centres, synagogues, mosques, schools and other places of worship, amid safety concerns in response to the war.
READ MORE: Toronto increases police presence at places of worship, schools amid safety concerns
Police recently said that there’s been a 132 per cent rise in hate crimes reported in the city since Oct. 7, when the war began.
In response to a rise in hate-motivated graffiti specifically, the force also launched an online form for the public to report any incidents.
