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Police arrest man over alleged hate-motivated threats at Toronto subway station

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A Toronto Transit Commission sign is shown at a downtown Toronto subway stop Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. Toronto police say a man has been arrested as part of an investigation into hate-motivated threats in the latest incident of violence on city transit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Toronto police say they've arrested a man who allegedly hurled racial slurs at commuters at a city subway station, marking the latest troubling incident on the local transit system.

Police allege the suspect was inside the Kennedy subway station on Friday morning with a sharp object in his hand, chasing people inside the station and yelling racial slurs at them.

They say the suspect fled on foot before police arrived.

They say a 24-year-old man is now facing seven charges, including one count each of uttering threats and assault with a weapon.

It's the latest in a string of high-profile violent incidents on Toronto transit routes, including last week's deadly, unprovoked attack on a 16-year-old boy at Keele subway station.

Experts say the rise in violence signals an urgent need to better support people in the city struggling with homelessness, mental illness and addiction.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2023.

The Canadian Press


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