Provincial police in Huntsville are investigating a hate crime after a family out for a walk was allegedly targeted.
Police say the family was walking along the sidewalk near the Brunel Road and Main Street East intersection on Saturday around 7:45 p.m. when a grey, older model sedan approached them.
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"Four occupants in the vehicle called the family racial slurs and spit at them," the OPP stated in a release regarding the incident.
The vehicle then travelled east on Main Street East.
"The OPP takes hate-motivated crimes very seriously as they undermine public safety, negatively impact our communities and can escalate toward criminal extremism," the police release noted.
Provincial police are being assisted with the investigation by the Muskoka Crime Unit and the OPP's Hate Crime and Extremism Unit.
Hate-motivated crimes are illegal under the Criminal Code, and police say they should be reported to the authorities.
Police ask anyone with information or video surveillance of the incident to contact Huntsville OPP at 705-789-5551 or 1-888-310-1122.
