1 person charged in connection with racist slurs, anti-Black graffiti reported in Toronto subway train
Toronto police say one person was arrested and charged on Sunday afternoon in connection with graffiti and racist slurs reported last week on a Toronto Transit Commission subway train.
The incident was first reported inside a Line 2 train at Broadview Station late Friday afternoon, said TTC spokesperson Stuart Green.
Toronto woman Dionne Samantha Callaghan described the incident to CBC Toronto Saturday, saying she sat down on the subway on her way home from working at a hospital, when a woman with a child started pointing at her and ranting, saying the N-word.
Callaghan said she chose to ignore the woman, keeping her headphones in and looking down. While she couldn’t hear the woman, Callaghan says, “I could see the N-word being thrown at my face.”
At one point, Callaghan said the woman took the child’s marker and wrote a phrase, which includes a misspelled version of the N-word, while pointing at her.
She described being shaken and in tears following the incident.
The train was immediately taken out of service after it was tracked down at Kipling Station about an hour later.
Toronto Police said they received two witness calls about the incident on Friday evening.
Accused not charged with a hate crime
Toronto police Const. David Hopkinson told CBC Toronto Sunday that the accused was arrested at 11 a.m. ET and charged with mischief to property under $5,000 and harassment.
Hopkinson said police have not charged the accused with a hate crime.
At this point, police are not releasing the name of the accused for their safety, Hopkinson added. They have been released from custody and are expected to appear in court at a later date.
Toronto Police confirm a suspect was arrested and charged in relation to the awful incident of anti-Black racism on a <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/TTC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#TTC</a> subway train Friday afternoon. Quick work!
—@TTCStuart
Green told CBC Toronto Sunday that the TTC is pleased that police, based on evidence and at least two complaints they received, were able to arrest and charge someone “very quickly.”
“It was an act that was rooted in hatred,” Green said.
