The Peterborough police arrested an 18-year-old male from Kawartha Lakes on Saturday (August 9, 2025), and charged him with hate crime, relating to an incident that occurred in the Lansdowne Place Mall parking lot recently.
Reportedly, an Indian couple was harassed in the mall parking lot by a group of Canadian youths on July 29, 2025, the video of which has surfaced on social media.
The Indian couple was allegedly harassed in a racially motivated attack. As a result of the investigation the 18-year-old male was arrested. The accused has been released on an undertaking and will appear in court on September 16, 2025.
The viral video shows three men inside a truck throwing racial slurs against the couple. When the Indian man tries to get the licence plate of the truck, one of the three youths shouts, “Do you want me to get out of the car and f*****g kill you?” One of the youths also calls the Indian ‘big nose’. One of the youths is also seen getting out of the truck and making obscene gestures at the couple.
This video has sparked outrage on social media, with many people terming it as a hate crime.
While there is no specific charge for hate crime in Canada that applies to this incident, there is a hate crime element to this case and that will be addressed as the case moves through the court process, the Peterborough police 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.” Chief Stuart Betts, Peterborough Police Service said.