Man filmed committing ‘hateful act’ against mother identified by Montreal police

MONTREAL – A man seen in a widely shared video harassing a woman with a vulgar slur and asking a crying child if he can have sex with the child’s mother has been identified, Montreal police said Friday.

The woman in the video had told media outlets she believes the July 23 incident was racially motivated, starting after the man heard her speaking Arabic on a street in northern Montreal.

Police said they were able to identity the man after receiving a tip from the public. Spokesman Julien Levesque said Friday investigators met with the man within the past 24 hours.

Montreal police had been asking for the public’s help in identifying him since July 24. In an Aug. 6 tweet, Mayor Valerie Plante asked people to help police find the person who committed a “hateful act” against a mother and her daughter.

In the video, the man approaches a woman who is not seen on camera and uses a vulgar term to insult her. He then bends down to a crying child, who is also not seen on video, and asks if he can have sex with the child’s mother.

The woman, who didn’t want to be identified out of fear for her family’s safety, told CBC in July the man approached her after he heard her speaking Arabic.

She said the man told her, “go back to where you’re from” and “you think you belong here?”

Police say the investigation is ongoing and did not release any other information.