'Possible hate crime': Woman in hijab spat on at B.C. McDonald's restaurant

A woman wearing a hijab was the victim of a "possible hate crime" at a McDonald's restaurant in New Westminster, B.C., last weekend, according to police.

Authorities said the victim reported she was dining at the McDonald's at Westminster Centre mall around 10 p.m. Sunday when a stranger walked up behind her and spat on her.

"We've explored CCTV of the incident and we have found evidence of an assault taking place," Staff Sgt. Sanjay Kumar of the New Westminster Police Department told reporters Thursday.

The victim was "minding her own business, facing away from the suspect" when the alleged assault took place, Kumar said. He thanked the McDonald’s staff for coming to the woman’s aid and calling police.

On Thursday afternoon, police shared an image of their suspect and asked anyone who recognizes her to come forward.

The incident is being investigated as a potential hate crime, in part, because of comments the suspect allegedly made following the assault, Kumar said.

"I can't get into the specifics of what was said," he added. "But there were some very hateful things said to the victim that had to do with her religion."

Police are not sharing the specific comments as investigators are still trying to find witnesses who can corroborate the remarks.

Authorities described the suspect as a 55-year-old woman with straight, dark-brown, shoulder-length hair. She was wearing a black-and-white top and had a shopping cart at the time of the incident.

New Westminster police asked anyone with information relevant to their investigation to come forward by calling 604-525-5411.