Statue damaged outside Sunalta church, hate crime unit investigating

The Calgary Police Service's hate crime and extremism team is investigating a recent act of vandalism that caused damage to a statue outside a church in Sunalta.

CPS officials say a man approached Sacred Heart Church, in the 1300 block of 14th Street S.W., in the late afternoon hours of Sept. 1. He proceeded to damage a religious statue before fleeing the area on foot.

The suspect is described as:

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  Approximately 180 centimetres (5'11") tall;


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  Having a slim build; and,


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  Having what appears to be tattoos along his left arm.

At the time of the vandalism, the suspect was wearing:

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  An orange T-shirt;


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  A baseball cap;


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  Sunglasses;


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  Dark construction pants; and,


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  Construction boots.

Investigators have not determined a motive for the vandalism

Anyone with information regarding the identity of the man who damaged the statue is asked to contact the CPS non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers.