Toronto man made hateful comments in Scarborough store before assaulting, robbing customer: police

A Toronto man is facing charges after allegedly making hateful remarks towards an employee and customer inside a Scarborough store and then assaulting and robbing the customer.

Officers were called to a store in the area of Danforth Avenue and Warden Avenue around 1:45 p.m. Sunday for reports of a robbery.

Police allege a man entered the store and started making anti-Muslim comments towards a worker. A female customer asked the man to stop bothering the employee when the suspect allegedly started making more anti-Muslim comments towards her.

It is alleged the man assaulted the customer and knocked her over. When she fell he grabbed her cell phone and ran away, according to police.

Police are treating the investigation as a suspected hate-motivated robbery.

Investigators identified the suspected as 49-year-old Toronto resident Tim Rogers. He is facing three charges including robbery with violence and two counts of possession of property obtained by crime under $5000.,

The accused was scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom on Monday morning.