A suspect has been arrested for antisemitic graffiti found in June near Toronto’s York University.
“We are pleased that a police investigation into hate graffiti discovered near York University has resulted in an arrest. Thank you to Toronto police for its determined efforts to track down the perpetrator and lay charges,” Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said on Twitter.
Toronto Police Services identified the suspected vandal as Trevor York, 35, according to a statement. He was arrested after an investigation into the hate-motivated graffiti. He was charged with multiple counts of property damage under $5,000 and hate-motivated break and enter.
The graffiti was discovered in a garage close to the university’s campus. It consisted of an antisemitic caricature that encouraged people to “shoot a Jew in the head.”
“I was just very caught off guard. I go quite often around these parts, same walk almost every day,” York student Robert Leitner told CP24 at the time. “It just kind of was there that one time and really took me aback. It's not something you normally see at this part near campus.”
Leitner, who is Jewish, discovered the threatening message when he walked by the garage in early June. He spoke to a friend and they contacted B’nai Brith Canada with a photo. B’nai Brith spoke to York University who called Toronto police to report the defacement.