Coronavirus Hate Crime: 92-Year-Old Man With Dementia Pushed Out Of Store, Racist Slurs Yelled At Him

A search was underway for a man after he pushed a 92-year-old man with dementia out of a store on to the floor while shouting racist slurs at the Asian man.

The incident took place in the afternoon of March 13, when the 92-year-old man, who suffers from severe dementia, wandered into a convenience store near Nanaimo Street and East 1st Avenue in Vancouver, Canada. The man had been reported missing by his family before the incident took place.

The staff at the store were trying to assist the elderly Asian man when the suspect began yelling racist remarks at the victim that included slurs about COVID-19. The suspect pushed the man outside the store. The man fell to the ground and hit his head. The suspect immediately fled the store before police arrived.

The incident was caught on the store’s surveillance camera.

“Everything about this assault and the behavior of the suspect is despicable,” said Tania Visintin, Constable of the Vancouver Police Department. “As a police department, we do not tolerate incidents motivated by bias, prejudice, or hate. It’s even more disturbing considering the victim’s age.”

The Vancouver police on Wednesday issued a lookout notice for the suspect and is asking for help from the public in identifying the suspect. The assailant is described as a white man in his 50s and is believed to be six feet tall with a heavy build. He has dark, short hair and is balding on the top.

At the time of the incident, he was seen wearing a grey, button-up shirt over a black t-shirt with a white skull design on the front, black pants, and black running shoes. He was also wearing a thick, gold bracelet, a gold necklace, and several gold rings, the police stated.

“We know that hate crimes and hate-motivated incidents are generally underreported. We believe the increase in March is indicative of a larger issue,” adds Visintin. “We are making a plea to victims or people who witness hate crimes to please come forward and report the incidents to police so they can be investigated.”

The police added in the statement that they have seen an increase in reports of anti-Asian hate-motivated incidents and criminal behavior in recent weeks.

“Eleven hate crimes were reported to police in March. Five of those reports (45%) had an anti-Asian element,” the statement read. So far in 2020, a total of nine anti-Asian hate crimes were reported in the city.