Arrest made in hot coffee assault at Vancouver Tim Hortons, police say
Vancouver police have arrested a suspect in the bizarre case of a woman who allegedly threw hot coffee at a Tim Hortons employee last fall.
Police said the incident happened at the Tim Hortons near Abbott and Pender streets on Oct. 20. Surveillance video shows a worker at the coffee shop placing a full cup on the counter for a customer, only to have the hot beverage tossed back at her.
The Vancouver Police Department said in a news release Thursday that 27-year-old Megan Russell was arrested on March 4 and has been charged with assault with a weapon in connection to the case.
At the time of the incident, police said the motivation for the attack was unclear. The department's hate crime investigator was asked to review the case to determine if "elements of hate, prejudice or bias were factors," police said at the time.
In its release on Thursday, the VPD said it believes the incident was unprovoked.
“We understand how traumatizing it is when people become victims of random and unprovoked attacks,” said VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison, in the release.
“When these incidents happen, we do everything we can to fully investigate, gather evidence, and identify the people responsible.”
Police said tips from the public contributed to investigators' identification of a suspect in the case.
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