EDMONTON -- Police have charged a 61-year-old man following a racist tirade in an Edmonton liquor store.
Edmonton Police Service confirmed Wednesday Terry Samsoniuk faces one count each of assault and causing a disturbance.
A CTV News Edmonton employee who was in the store during the Aug. 2 rant captured part of it on video.
In the clip, the man can be heard telling an employee wearing a turban, “I never knew how good this country was ‘til you people moved here.”
He also says, ““Why don’t you come to this country and be like everybody else?” and “Canadians are the nicest f—— people in the world, and your belief system is not better than our f—— lives.”
Store supervisor Navdeep Singh told CTV News Edmonton, “He just came into the store and started yelling about the mask thing.”
Masks had become mandatory in all publicly accessible spaces in Edmonton one day earlier.
A sign on the 137 Street Olympia Liquor location reiterated the new rule, and appeared to be what triggered the customer’s comments, Singh said.
Security camera footage backs up the employee’s account: The man walks into the store without a mask, and appears to immediately begin shouting at Singh.
- READ MORE: Caught on camera: Racist tirade in Edmonton liquor store
- READ MORE: 'Pretty belligerent': Customer goes on offensive tirade after liquor store employee tells him to wear mask
Singh has said the situation has the potential to do more good than harm.
“So many people apologized to me for that specific incident, and that was wonderful.”
