Judge issues arrest warrant for man accused of attacking 2 Muslim women in Edmonton

A judge has issued an arrest warrant for a man who failed to appear in court Wednesday on charges related to an attack on two Muslim women outside a south Edmonton mall.

Richard Bradley Stevens was charged with two counts of assault and one of mischief after a Somali mother and daughter wearing hijabs were chased and accosted in 2020.

The women told police they were sitting in a car in the SouthgateCentreparking lot in December when a man came up to the passenger side and began yelling at them.

They said the man shattered a car window, then knocked one of them to the ground and started assaulting her.

The second woman tried to help but was also shoved to the ground.

The women said the man was swearing at them and telling them to go back to their country before witnesses intervened and stopped the assault.

The warrant is unendorsed, which means Stevens will be kept in custody after his arrest.

In the past year, Muslim women in the Edmonton area have reported at least seven hateful, unprovoked attacks in which they were screamed at, shovedor pushed to the ground.