Kerri Singh and her 14-year-old son were walking to the TD Bank at 8 Avenue and 8 Street SW on Friday around 5:30 p.m. when she said they were approached by a man carrying a plastic bottle and a lighter. “He said, ‘I’m not kidding’. He shoved a can of petrol in my face, really close. I could smell it,” Singh said. “He said, ‘who’s going to light it first? … This is petrol and I’m going to set you on fire.’ Thinking quickly, Singh said she pulled her son behind her and tried to diffuse the situation. “I told him we were from Canada,” Singh said. “Because my son wears a patka, he is a Sikh. Story continues below ad “It completely transformed as I said we are from Canada. When I said we were born and raised in Canada, his whole demeanor changed.” The patka is a smaller version of a Sikh turban usually worn by boys and teenagers before they start wearing a turban.
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Singh said the man continued to shout at other visible minority people who were on the balcony of a nearby apartment. He said he tried to call 911, but couldn’t get through because of the Rogers shutdown. Mother and son then ran inside the bank to call for help. Singh said the man returned to his vehicle in a nearby alley where she added he had a can of gas. Police said they believe the man threw gas in the face of another man in the alley. “Meanwhile, other people gathered around the corner and said they saw someone else – a security guard in the other building – who was actually doused in petrol,” Singh said. Police arrested the man a short time later and took him to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. Story continues below ad Singh said she feels terrible about saying she was Canadian in her defense, but added that it did appear to help her and her son out of a potentially dangerous situation. “I didn’t realize things like this could happen in Calgary, especially when I have a son who is a visible minority,” she said. “I feel for whoever is out there that they are a visible minority. It makes me fear for them because of the rage that is out there. His anger was so intense.”
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Both Singh and her husband Ron believe this should be pursued as a hate crime. “When he said he had to use the words ‘we’re Canadians’ to stop this gentleman from doing what he was trying to do, it just blew my mind,” Ron said. Police said three charges are pending against the man, including assault with a weapon, uttering threats and breaching a court order. Related News © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
