Hamilton

'I would kill your children': Cops look at Walmart incident as possible hate crime

Police have charged a 47-year-old man from Stoney Creek, Ont., and are investigating an incident he was allegedly part of in a Walmart parking lot as a possible hate crime.

WARNING: This article contains video with offensive language

A video showing a man yelling racist threats at a couple was reportedly filmed outside a Walmart in Stoney Creek Friday afternoon. (Patryk Laszczuk/YouTube)

A man from Stoney Creek, Ont., has been charged with threatening death after a heated confrontation in a Walmart parking lot that police are investigating as a possible hate crime.

Dale Robertson, 47, has also been charged with dangerous driving and failing to remain at the scene of an accident in connection with the Friday afternoon incident.

A video of the showdown was shared on YouTube by Patryk Laszczuk. He said it was sent to him by one of his coworkers, who texted him around 1 p.m., saying he just had a "racist encounter" outside of the Walmart Supercentre on Centennial Parkway North in Stoney Creek, east of Hamilton.

Police have confirmed the video that was posted is of the incident they're investigating.

The argument started after a couple tried to back into a parking spot and apparently got in the way of the man who is charged, according to Laszczuk, who said his coworker's wife started recording once the situation escalated.

The video shows a man getting into a silver pickup, while another man shakes his finger and asks him what kind of example he thinks he's setting.

'You don't talk like a Canadian'

At one point, the person holding the camera appears to get hit by the truck as driver of the truck accelerates then hits the brakes.

"Oops," he can be heard saying, before shouting "Get out of the way."

At that point the other man reaches out and briefly grabs his arm.

"You put your f--king hands on me I will break your leg," says the man in the truck. "You're the one trying to harass me."

In the video, the driver of a silver pickup claims he's racist while arguing with another man in a parking lot. Patryk Laszczuk, who posted the clip of the confrontation on Youtube, blurred the faces of everyone involved. (Patryk Laszczuk/YouTube)

The other man walks alongside the truck as it slowly drives away and says, "You want me to go to my own country? I'm a Canadian citizen."

The man in the truck responds by saying "Show me. Prove it. I don't believe you." Then, he crudely attempts to copy the other man's accent saying "You don't talk like a Canadian."

"I'm racist as f--k. I don't like you, I don't like her," he adds. "I would kill your children first."

WARNING: This video contains offensive language.

Police said the woman suffered minor injuries after being hit, but has since been medically cleared.

Laszczuk said both his coworker and his wife are originally from India, but are Canadian citizens who have been living here for the past seven or eight years.

'That's disgusting'

Laszczuk shared the video on his Facebook page asking for help identifying the man in the truck so he can be "brought to justice."

"I was horrified," he said, adding the man's comments and threats crossed a line. "That's disgusting, whether it's a fight or not, that's disgusting."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dan Taekema

Reporter

Dan Taekema is CBC’s reporter covering Kingston, Ont. and the surrounding area. He’s worked in newsrooms in Chatham, Windsor, Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa. You can reach him by emailing [email protected].