An 18-year-old teen was arrested on Saturday and charged with hate crime after a video showed a group of young Canadian men racially abusing and threatening an Indian couple in a parking lot in Peterborough, Ontario.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO
Police said the confrontation took place on July 29 in the Lansdowne Place Mall parking lot. The video, originally posted by the victims on Facebook, shows three men inside a pickup truck harassing the couple.
When the Indian man tries to film their license plate, one of the men can be heard saying: “Do you want me to get out of the car and f*****g kill you?” The group hurls racial slurs, calling the man a “big nose” and a “f*****g immigrant.”
At one point, a man steps out of the vehicle and makes obscene gestures, including simulating sexual acts toward the couple’s car. The victims allege the group also rammed their vehicle, causing damage.
Some are trying to defend the driver of the truck in this disgusting hate-motivated incident in Peterborough.
The driver was laughing and smiling as his buddy in the back yells another racial slur. 👇
🚨Disturbing content pic.twitter.com/k8mYJdWPlb
— Tanya (@TanyaRanne) August 9, 2025
Arrest made
The Peterborough Police Service said in a press release that an arrest has been made. “On Friday, August 8, 2025, officers began an investigation into the incident, which happened on July 29, 2025. The investigation included viewing videos, some of which were circulating on social media, and that included hate-based language,” the release stated.
An 18-year-old from the City of Kawartha Lakes has been charged with “Utter threats – Cause Death or Bodily Harm.” He was released on an undertaking and is due in court on September 16, 2025.
While Canada has no specific hate crime charge applicable to the incident, police said there is a hate crime element to the case that will be addressed as it moves through court.
Peterborough Police Service Chief Stuart Betts said: “Anybody who has seen the video in this case will understand that that type of behaviour is not acceptable in our community, nor any community. I would like to thank everyone who came forward with information in connection with this incident. Clearly this is not the standard of acceptable behaviour in our city. We encourage residents to continue to report hate bias incidents/crimes that take place in our community. Reporting these incidents to police is crucial to ensuring we have the information needed to investigate and pursue charges when appropriate. We are committed to keeping our community safe for everyone who lives, works, or visits here.”
