A youth is among three people charged in a hate-motivated incident that occurred on a city bus in Barrie. Police accuse the group of being connected to two separate assaults on Sunday night. The first, police say, happened around 7:15 p.m. when the three males began harassing a 26-year-old man aboard a bus on Essa Road. People allege the three slapped and pushed the victim while making derogatory comments. According to police, when the victim sought help from the bus driver, the suspects pushed the man off of the bus and onto the platform before fleeing the area. Around 8:30 p.m., the three suspects were on another city bus on Yonge Street when police say they began to harass a 22-year-old man. Police allege one of the suspects removed the victim’s turban and poured beer on him. When the suspect tried to call police, the suspect is alleged to have grabbed the phone out of his hand and thrown it on the ground. The victim then approached the bus driver for help and police say two of the suspects then restrained him and a third punched him in the face and in the upper body. The trio then got off the bus and got into a nearby taxi, police say. Police later located the three accused in the taxi around 9 p.m. in the area of Simcoe Street and Mulcaster Street. The three suspects, aged 16, 18 and 19, now face criminal charges of offence motivated by hatred. Police say neither of the victims sustained any serious injuries.
