Mischief charge recommended in Richmond anti-Asian hate incident
Steveston coffee shop worker was reportedly subjected to racial slurs and had coffee thrown at her
A charge of mischief has been recommended against a woman in a high-profile anti-Asian hate incident in Richmond, B.C., in March.
Richmond RCMP spokesman Cpl. Ian Henderson said evidence has been forwarded to Crown for a final decision on whether to charge the suspect or not.
On March 29, an employee at Rocanini Coffee Roasters in Steveston reportedly had coffee thrown at her, followed by the slur, "f--- you Chinese," after asking a couple to maintain social distance from other customers.
Video posted to social media of the aftermath of the incident shows a man and woman getting into a BMW in the 3900-block of Moncton Street.
WATCH | Man makes racist comments in Richmond, B.C.:
Twice the man says "f---ing Chinese" toward the person shooting the video before he climbs into the driver's seat and shuts the door.
He then gets back out of the car and says "coronavirus is you" to the person taking the video.
At a Stop Asian Hate rally held Thursday at Richmond city hall, Vincent Yang, senior associate with UBC's International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, commended police.
"That sends a very strong signal to the society, to all the potential racist criminals, that if you commit a hate crime or if you commit a crime based on hate against any racial or ethnic group, that is a criminal offence and we don't tolerate it here in Richmond," Yang said.