Maskless confrontation at Burnaby Canadian Tire investigated as assault
Posted February 24, 2021 11:18 am.
Last Updated February 25, 2021 11:26 am.
BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – A man who refused to wear a mask inside a Burnaby Canadian Tire store on Monday is at the centre of an assault investigation.
Video of the incident has been widely shared online and it appears to show a man being surrounded by staff at the store. Before the man attempts to get away, the employees pin him down and try to put handcuffs on him.
“My human rights are trumping your bullsh– mask mandates,” the man yells at one point in the video.
Burnaby RCMP’s Cpl. Mike Kalanj says Mounties had received a call from staff members at the store who said the man would not put on a mask and would not leave.
“When he said no, they decided that they were going to escort him out. That’s when he allegedly, at this point, assaulted a couple of the staff members. That’s of course when the video starts and the altercation happens,” he tells NEWS 1130.
When police arrived on the scene, the staff members had the man pinned down and officers took over from there.
Kalanj says the video only captured the aftermath of the situation and the investigation is ongoing. He notes police are investigating this situation as an for assault and they weren’t called there for a public health violation.
The man was arrested and released a few hours later with a court date.
