A Calgary mother is still in disbelief after she and her son were approached by a man she says threatened to set them on fire.
Kerry 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 a man approached them carrying a plastic bottle and a lighter.
“He said, ‘I’m not kidding.’ He pulled a gasoline can into my face, very close. I could smell it,” Singh said. “He said, ‘Who’s going to light it first? … It’s gasoline and I’m going to light you.’
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 duck, he is a Sikh.
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“He’s completely transformed, like I said, we’re from Canada. When I said we were born and raised in Canada, his whole demeanor changed.
A 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 minorities who were on the balcony of a nearby apartment. She said she tried to call 911 but was unable to connect due to Rogers being hung up. The mother and son then ran into 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 gasoline.
Police said they believe the man threw gas in the face of another man who was in the driveway.
“Meanwhile, other people gathered at the corner and said they witnessed someone else – a security guard in the other building – actually being doused in petrol,” Singh said
Shortly thereafter, police arrested the man and transported him to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.
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Singh said she feels terrible about being Canadian as a defense, but added that it seems to have helped her and her son out of a potentially dangerous situation.
“I didn’t realize that things like this could happen in Calgary, especially when I have a son who is a visible minority,” she said.
“I feel that whoever is there is a visible minority. It makes me fear for them because of the anger that is there. His anger was so strong.
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Both Singh and her husband Ron believe it should be prosecuted as a hate crime.
“When she said she had to use the words ‘we are Canadians’ to stop this gentleman from doing what he was trying to do, it just blew my mind,” Ron said.
Police said the man faces three charges, including assault with a weapon, uttering threats and breaching a court order.
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