‘I couldn’t believe it, I was beside myself’: Man filmed spitting on elevator panel in Vancouver building

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Marie Hui took to Twitter after getting her hands on footage apparently showing someone spitting on the elevator buttons in her Olympic Village building.

Residents of the building at First Avenue and Quebec Street have a Facebook group, and questions about saliva spattered on the elevator panel surfaced online Friday.

Hui didn’t shoot the video, but says she saw evidence firsthand.

“I actually was in the elevator and saw the spit, and I obviously didn’t touch any part of it,” she says. “I’m just completely disgusted, especially during this pandemic.”

Then someone showed Hui the video.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was beside myself knowing that this guy was here, knowing that he spat on a place where people have to press buttons.”

She said she was particularly shocked because all of her neighbours in the building have been careful, and the building has been diligently cleaned.

“This is a major shock. Everybody here has been very respectful of everybody’s space,” she said, adding people have been waiting for the next elevator when they see someone else on board.

Since COVID-19 is transmitted by droplets and people are being told to stay home and practise physical distancing, Hui says the incident left her feeling vulnerable.

“I don’t want him to endanger anybody, any of my family members here, anyone who lives here, anybody else in this city,” she said.

“We’re all kind of on high alert when it comes to our health right now, and our well-being and we all want to keep our distance from other people especially strangers. It’s just really concerning when you see something like this.”

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Hui says she doesn’t recognize the man, and doesn’t think she would if she saw him in the building.

Hui said the video has been sent to the building’s management and the strata council, but her understanding is that the only penalty the man could face is a fine.

NEWS 1130 has reached out to the building to confirm the incident, and find out what is being done.

Police, retail workers report threats of spitting amid pandemic 

Police officers across the country have reported being threatened with spitting and coughing while conducting arrests.

A 24-year-old man from Coquitlam, B.C., was charged after allegedly coughing on three officers during an arrest on Monday.

Vancouver police reported two such incidents Wednesday.

We've had 2 recent incidents where suspects are threatening, coughing or spitting at #VPD officers & claiming to have #COVID19 – both charged with assaulting an officer. So proud of our members showing courage in the face of adversity @VancouverPD pic.twitter.com/qNi4dhzYkr

— Adam Palmer (@ChiefPalmer) April 9, 2020

Customers have also reportedly threatened to spit or cough on staff at various London Drugs locations in B.C.