Sackville man charged following hate motivated incident

An RCMP vehicle with its lights on. (Healey photo)

LOWER SACKVILLE: A 31-year-old Sackville man is facing charges of assault following a hate-motivated incident on Jan. 17 in Sackville.

RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said that police responded shortly before 9 p.m. to a report of an assault that occurred outside a restaurant on Sackville Dr.

“RCMP officers learned that two men were involved in a verbal altercation inside the restaurant,’ said Cpl. Tremblay.

“The altercation moved outside after racial slurs were expressed by one man.”

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Cpl. Tremblay said the same man then assaulted the other individual with a sensory irritant before fleeing on foot.

The victim, a 30-year-old Lower Sackville man, suffered minor injuries. He was treated at the scene by EHS.

At approximately 11:15 p.m., RCMP officers located the 31-year-old Sackville man involved in the incident, at the Halifax Transit terminal on Cobequid Rd., and safely arrested him. 

Information gathered by investigators indicates that the offence was motivated by hate, based on the race of the victim.

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Scott Alonzo Merk, 31, has been charged with:

  • Assault with a Weapon
  • Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
  • Unauthorized Possession of a Prohibited Weapon
  • Possession of a Weapon Contrary to an Order

Merk appeared in court on Jan. 18 and was remanded into custody.

He will return in Dartmouth Provincial Court on February 8, 2024.

The RCMP takes incidents of hate with utmost seriousness and condemns these criminal acts.

File #: 24-7442