Mom "devastated" after daughter with special needs harassed at nail salon

A Surrey mother says she is “absolutely heartbroken” after her teenage daughter with special needs was allegedly verbally assaulted at a nail salon last week.

Margaret Young was at Icon Nails & Spa in Surrey on August 23 to get pedicures with her daughters, Courtney and Dani Lynes.

A customer began to allegedly yell at Courtney, 18, for staring and Young stepped in and informed the woman that her daughter has special needs.

The woman continued with the insults, telling Courtney that “she should die” and told Young that she “should have killed” her daughter.

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“I am devastated and absolutely heartbroken. I never thought I would have to defend my special needs daughter against something so cruel and ignorant,” Young told Daily Hive.

She says Courtney “was hysterical” during the altercation.

“She kept crying and asking ‘Why I die?'” said Young.

“It was heartbreaking. It’s something that no parent should have to see their kid go through.”

Young credits the salon staff and fellow customers for standing up for Courtney.

“The ladies at the salon were amazing and the support we had was incredible,” she said.

Family disappointed with delayed police response

Eventually, the woman was kicked out of the salon, and Young’s eldest daughter, Dani Lynes, called 911.

In a Facebook post, Lynes expressed her disappointment with police saying they took nearly 45 minutes to arrive.

When asked about the delayed response from police, Cst. Elanore Sturko with Surrey RCMP said that when the call was received “call takers determined that the parties in conflict were separated and there was no imminent threat of assault or danger.”

Sturko said police were also responding to multiple calls at the same time.

“Unfortunately, they had to wait a bit longer for our response [as it was] determined that the threat of imminent danger had passed,” she said, adding that police set priorities with responses based on “level of risk.”

But Young says the woman still posed a risk to Courtney even though she was removed.

“She was still very threatening and she was still there and banging on the windows […] and giving us the finger. I was trying to stand in front of Courtney, I didn’t want her to see the woman.”

Investigation ongoing: RCMP

Young says she is currently waiting for more information from the RCMP regarding the investigation.

“The police have not interviewed me. They have not contacted me,” she said.

When asked about the status of the case, Sturko told Daily Hive that the “file is still under investigation” and “it’s too early to determine if charges would be laid.”

“We are not at that stage yet,” she said.

While Young waits for answers, she hopes the incident will make others realize that “people with special needs are as important as anyone else.”

“Even if they don’t understand, they have feelings,” she said.