No jail time in attack that saw 92-year-old Asian man pushed to the ground

More than two years after an incident where a man was seen on video pushing an elderly man to the ground, there will be no jail time served.

This happened back in March 2020, when Vancouver Police say a 92-year-old man with severe dementia walked into a convenience store near Nanaimo Street and East 1st Avenue.

At the time, police said that store staff were attempting to help the man. Then, a suspect apparently “began yelling racist remarks at the victim,” including comments about COVID-19.

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Police said that footage showed a suspect shoving the 92-year-old outside of the store, causing him to fall and hit his head.

50-year-old Jamie Bezanson was charged with assault in connection with the incident.

He was back in court this week to be sentenced after entering a plea in the case.

“Bezanson was granted a conditional discharge, with one-year probation,” the BC Prosecution Service told Daily Hive.

“I can advise that there was no reliable evidence that this was motivated by hate and that there was reliable evidence that it was not,” they said.

If Bezanson meets the requirements of their probation, the charge will not appear on his record.