A man was arrested for allegedly making racist comments and threats at an Indian-origin couple in Canada on July 27. A video uploaded on YouTube shows the white man shouting at the couple outside a Walmart store after they inadvertently get in his way while backing into a parking lot.
The police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime, CBC News reported. Dale Robertson, 47, from Stoney Creek in Ontario, has been charged with threatening death, dangerous driving and failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
The police said that the victims were traumatized by what happened. “It hit them really hard,” the publication quoted Det. Paul Corrigan as saying. “They were extremely shocked by it, they had not experienced [something like this] before.”
.@HamiltonPolice are now investigating Friday's heated confrontation at Walmart as a hate crime. Det. Paul Corrigan says the couple involved is "traumatized." #HamOnt Read more: https://t.co/7yZnkv2UTV … pic.twitter.com/flxs3LDhxs
— CBC Hamilton (@CBCHamilton) July 30, 2018
The police are reviewing Robertson’s social media accounts and security footage from the parking lot, and asking for eye witness accounts, the report added.
“If we can prove motivation that’s a major part of the investigation,” Corrigan said. “What motivated this person to behave the way they did.”
The footage was shared on the video sharing platform by Patryk Laszczuk, who told the publication that the victim is his co-worker.
The incident apparently unfolded when the Indian-origin couple, who are Canadian citizens, got into a disagreement with Robertson outside the Walmart Supercentre on Centennial Parkway North in Stoney Creek, east of Hamilton. The victim’s wife started recording when the situation escalated, Laszczuk said.
The video shows a white man getting into his silver truck as the victim tries to talk to him, saying, “What kind of example are you setting for your children?”
The attacker at one point accelerates and then hits the brakes, and the victim’s wife who was recording the happenings appears to get hit by the vehicle.
“Oops,” the driver says, and shouts, “Get out of the way.”
The other man then reaches out and grabs his arm for a while. “You put your f–king hands on me I will break your leg,” the white man in the truck says.
As the other man responds by saying, “Stop it,” the truck driver replies, “You are the one trying to harass me. I’m driving away.”
As the truck starts moving, the victim is heard saying, “You want me to go to my own country? I’m a Canadian citizen.”
The man in the truck replies, “Show me. Prove it. I don’t believe you.” He then goes on to mimic the other man’s accent, saying, “You don’t talk like a Canadian.”
As he is about to drive off, he adds, “I’m racist as f–k. I don’t like you, I don’t like her. I would kill your children first.”
Laszczuk told the publication that the video was sent to him by his co-worker shortly after the incident took place. He said that the victims originally belong to India but have been living in Canada for over seven years. The police said that the woman suffered minor injuries after getting hit by the truck, and has since been medically cleared, the report added.