Charges laid in Light Rail Transit assaults

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, September 24, 2024             11:30 am

(Ottawa) – The Ottawa Police Service Hate and Bias Crime Unit have charged a man following multiple assaults yesterday aboard a Light Rail Transit (LRT) train.

At approximately 10:50 am, Ottawa Police Service officers, along with OC Transpo Special Constables, responded to an assault in progress involving multiple passengers on one of the LRT trains near Tunney’s Pasture. It was later learned that the suspect had assaulted four people while uttering hate-filled comments aboard various OC Transpo buses and trains between the Algonquin College and Tunney’s Pasture stations.

All four of the victims sustained serious injuries.

Errol ROSE, 26 years old, of Ottawa, has been charged with:

• Assault x2
• Mischief, interference with lawful enjoyment of property x5
• Assault with a weapon x2
• Aggravated assault
• Assault causing bodily harm
• Possession of a weapon
• Uttering threats
• Fail to comply with a release order

ROSE is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.

The Ottawa Police Service would like to thank the members of the public who stopped to render first aid to the victim(s).

Investigators believe that there could be other incidents and are seeking further victims.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Service at 613-236-1222 ext. 5015.

We continue to encourage anyone who witnesses or experiences such incidents to report them to police. Reporting hate-motivated incidents is an important step in stopping cycles of hatred.

Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.

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CONTACT:

Media Relations Section

Tel: 613-236-1222, ext. 5366