Suspect charged in March assault on elderly Asian man at 7/11 store
Violent incident was captured by surveillance footage in mid-March
A man has been charged in connection to an attack on an elderly Asian man at an East Vancouver 7/11 in March, the B.C. Prosecution Service has confirmed.
Jamie Bezanson has been charged with one count of assault, three months after Vancouver police said a suspect had been identified following numerous tips from the public.
In-store surveillance video captured on March 13 at the convenience store near Nanaimo Street and East 1st Avenue showed a white male who appeared to be yelling at a 92-year-old Asian man, who police said has dementia.
The video shows the suspect shoving the elderly man out of the store, which caused him to fall to the ground outside and hit his head.
Vancouver police previously said the suspect in the attack yelled racist comments about COVID-19. The B.C. Prosecution Service would not confirm whether the charges were connected to a hate crime.
The family of the elderly man said previously that he was recovering well, and used the incident as an opportunity to speak out against rising xenophobia and racism toward Asian people.
Bezanson's first appearance is scheduled for August 10 in Vancouver provincial court.