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Police investigating Kitsilano coffee shop assault as possible hate crime (VIDEO)

Sarah Anderson
Sarah Anderson
|
Apr 14 2023, 5:23 pm
Police investigating Kitsilano coffee shop assault as possible hate crime (VIDEO)
VPD

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is investigating a possible hate crime after a stranger spat on a man in a coffee shop. On Friday, April 14, VPD released video footage of the incident and a photo of the suspect.

The incident happened on February 26, 2023. According to police, a 38-year-old man was playing cards and drinking coffee with a group of friends at a coffee shop near West 4th Avenue and Alma Street.

The group was approached by a stranger, who at first was “engaging in friendly conversation” with them. Then, the woman asked the men what language they were speaking.

“When one of the men told her they were speaking Arabic, the woman allegedly made a racial comment, poured coffee on their table, and walked out,” said VPD Constable Tania Visintin. “She returned later, walked up to the same group, and spat in the victim’s face.”

“This kind of assault is humiliating and degrading,” Visintin said in a release. “Every indication is that the victim was singled out because of his language and ethnicity.”

After the incident was reported, the investigation began immediately, and police are treating the incident as a possible hate crime. So far, they have not been able to identify the suspect and have asked the public for help.

VPD investigators want to hear from anyone who has info about the assault or who recognizes the suspect.

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