VANCOUVER — The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs says one of its employees, an Indigenous woman, was the victim of a racially motivated attack Friday evening.
In a statement released Sunday, the union says 27-year-old Dakota Holmes was walking her dog near East 33rd Ave. and Fraser St. when she sneezed, leading a man to punch her in the face and yell anti-Asian slurs related to COVID-19.
It says the alleged attacker fled after Holmes's dog scared him off.
Sgt. Aaron Roed with the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Police Department confirms that hate crimes investigators are looking into the incident, which took place shortly before 8:30 p.m.
There have been no arrests, he says, and police are looking for a suspect and also witnesses.
Holmes says she's sharing her story in order to send the message that racism is a deadly threat and every instance must be called out.
"Although the attacker thought I was Asian at first, I yelled out that I was Indigenous, and he still didn't stop and didn't seem to care," she said in the statement released by her employer.
"What would have happened if I hadn't had my dog with me, and if I didn't have a strong network of family and friends for support?"
Premier John Horgan also released a statement on Sunday, condemning the rise in racist anti-Asian behaviour since the pandemic took root.
"People are being targeted as they go about their daily lives. It is unacceptable. I have said it before: hate has no place in our province and it will not be tolerated."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2020.
The Canadian Press
