‘Traumatized’: Man who spat on woman in racist assault sought by CPS

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Her mother’s birthday was supposed to be a joyous day for Calgarian Tianna Hay.

But a sudden, unprovoked assault on Feb. 11 — when she was spat on and repeatedly suffered racial insults — instantly changed her outlook, said the 22-year-old woman.

“He locked eyes with me, approached me, and spat on my face and body, shortly after shouting (the N-word) and quickly again with more roaring anger and hatred in his voice, he repeated himself, ‘yeah, I called you a (expletive N-word),’ ” an emotional Hay, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, told a press conference.

“The blare of his voice lingers in my head, and the image of his face cannot seem to evade my memory.”

It was about 4:15 p.m. that day when Hay was about to enter the Dollarama store at 5401 Temple Dr. N.E. when she stepped aside to allow the man to exit.

That was when the assault occurred, one Hay said has left a lingering trauma.

“I find myself constantly on edge, scanning my surroundings in terror that this cruel encounter may happen again or worse,” said Hay, fighting back tears while being comforted by her sister Natasha Russell.

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“I no longer permit myself the freedom of shopping for necessities alone, either a family member or close friend that I trust accompanies me to the simple task of shopping.”

While the suspect’s image was captured by the store’s surveillance camera, showing a man not wearing a protective mask in violation of COVID-19 regulations, police are seeking the public’s help in identifying him.

It’s possible the man could be charged with hate-related offences.

City police say they collected a saliva sample from Hay’s clothes in the hopes of identifying the culprit through DNA analysis, but have yet to find a match.

“Results from such tests can take several months to obtain and we are still waiting for information,” the Calgary Police Service said in a statement.

A CPS officer said it’s vital such offenders be brought to justice given the serious, traumatic nature of hate crimes.

“We are committed to ensuring that we work every day towards creating a community where racism is not tolerated, accepted, or present,” said Staff Sgt. Ryan Preece.

“We recognize the impact racist actions can have on members of our community and take investigations into crimes against racialized communities seriously.”

The city’s been grappling with a series of possibly hate-related incidents in recent months, with the CPS itself embarked on a reform process to ensure it handles the incidents and racialized Calgarians appropriately.

A Calgary man has been charged with mischief to a vehicle, an offence that could be followed by hate-related charges, after he was captured on a video yelling racial epithets at a Palestinian immigrant on Bow Trail S.W. on Wednesday, said police.

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He also attacked the victim’s vehicle by apparently damaging a windshield wiper.

“Just because the mischief offence was laid yesterday does not preclude other offences coming forward,” said Const. Craig Collins, the CPS’s hate crimes coordinator.

“Incidents where a person is targeted for their race or culture have a significant impact on not only the victim, but the broader community as it can impact their sense of safety.”

Known hate-motivated crimes have increased in the city over the past year, he said.

“That’s a trend being followed by all police services in North America — people are becoming more aware of what a hate crime is and more people like Tianna are prepared to come forward,” said Collins.

Hay said she’s been a frequent target of racist behaviour, including being considered a shoplifting risk and other biases.

But she said the February encounter can’t be ignored.

“These acts of hate should not be overlooked and must be addressed. I am asking for your assistance in identifying and locating the suspect so that extensive consequences can be applied,” she said.

“The aggressor believes it is okay to inflict harm and prejudice upon people of colour, which we should not stand for.”

The suspect, who was carrying a white plastic bag, is described as approximately six feet tall with a medium build and olive skin, and was wearing a grey jacket.

Police are asking anyone with information on his identity to contact them at 403-266-1234 or by calling Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or at www.calgarycrimestoppers.org for case No. 21051737/5758.

BKaufmann@postmedia.com

Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn