Langley RCMP investigate assault on driving instructor after video shows racist remarks
A woman was arrested after an alleged assault on a driving instructor in a church parking lot, with video showing racist comments.
LANGLEY — Langley RCMP are investigating an alleged assault on a driving instructor in a church parking lot after a video showing the confrontation and racist remarks circulated online.
Police said officers were called to the 4800 block of 207 Street around 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Cpl. Mansoor Sahak with Langley RCMP said the alleged assault was a dispute between two individuals in the parking lot. “One of them being a driving instructor, and the driving instructor was assaulted,” Sahak said.
Police arrested a woman at the scene for the alleged assault. She has since been released and is expected to appear in court. “This individual has not been charged, so you know there’s privacy concerns if I do share more details, so I won’t be able to get into details at this point,” Sahak said.
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The driving school involved, Valley Driving School, issued a statement saying it was deeply concerned by the incident. “We strongly condemn the racism and aggressive behaviour depicted in the video,” the statement read.
What does the video show?
A 46-second video clip of the incident has been circulating on Instagram and Reddit. The clip opens with a woman in a denim jacket grabbing a man by his shirt collar and striking him three times in the neck and head, with the third hit knocking his sunglasses off.
There is a profanity-laced exchange with the woman accusing the man of being “parked illegally” and telling the man to “go back to your country,” while he responds that he was “born here.”
RCMP acknowledged Thursday that a video of the alleged assault has been posted on social media. Police are not commenting on what may have led to the incident.
It is unclear who was filming the video or how soon after the confrontation police arrived.
What has the driving school said?
Valley Driving School noted in a comment on a Facebook post that it was “aware of an incident involving one of our instructors and are taking the matter seriously.” When reached by Postmedia News, the driving school confirmed they had spoken to police.
“The safety and well-being of our team members and customers remain the priority. Out of respect for the privacy of those involved and the ongoing police process, we are unable to comment further on the specific circumstances,” the company said in its statement.
The school said it was “deeply concerned about what happened.”
What are police doing?
Cpl. Mansoor Sahak said Langley RCMP are investigating the incident. “The interaction is disturbing and in no way a reflection of the community as a whole,” Sahak said. “Langley RCMP are taking the report seriously and investigating the incident.”
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident to speak with investigators. They can contact the Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200 and quote file number 26-33543.
“What we know so far is that an assault that occurred was a dispute inside the parking lot between two individuals,” Sahak said.
The alleged assault happened in a church parking lot, which was empty at the time.
What is the status of the investigation?
The woman arrested on scene has been released. Police said she is expected to appear in court.
No charges have been announced. “This individual has not been charged, so you know there’s privacy concerns if I do share more details, so I won’t be able to get into details at this point,” Sahak said.
RCMP is asking anyone who witnessed the incident to contact investigators.
With files from Global News, CityNews and Vancouver Sun