Woman arrested after altercation with anti-racism protesters outside Richmond courthouse, RCMP say
Police in Richmond say they are still investigating after an altercation between anti-racism protesters and a woman outside the city's courthouse on Wednesday afternoon.
The 44-year-old woman from Vancouver has been arrested and released on a promise to appear in court on Oct. 20, Richmond RCMP say in a news release issued Thursday.
Police have not named the woman. They say she faces possible charges of assault and mischief.
The arrest stems from an incident that occurred around 2:30 p.m. outside Richmond provincial court.
Several protesters were outside the courthouse because the two people accused in an alleged hate incident in a Steveston coffee shop in March were scheduled to appear in court that afternoon.
A separate confrontation between protesters and the man facing a charge of mischief in that case was caught on camera Wednesday afternoon.
Police say demonstrators told them that the woman exited the courthouse and confronted them, "hitting several of them and damaging at least one cell phone in the process."
No one was seriously injured in the incident, police say.
Richmond RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Ian Henderson says in the news release that reports that the woman's motivation for confronting the protesters was anti-Asian sentiment "may be inaccurate."
“Initial information suggests the accused had been at the courthouse on a completely unrelated matter, and took offence to being video recorded by demonstrators," Henderson says. "Richmond RCMP investigators continue to investigate this matter fully, and we encourage the public to reserve judgment at least until the investigation is complete."
Multiple protesters have contacted CTV News Vancouver to say that the woman was a passerby. They allege that she started the confrontation by smashing protesters' signs near the street before entering the building, and became violent when the demonstrators attempted to ask why she had done so.
“Hate has no place in Richmond, and we support those in our community who are standing up against it," Henderson says in the release. “But initial media reports alleging that this matter was yet another hate incident may be inaccurate."
CTV News did not describe the incident as an anti-Asian hate crime in its reporting on Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.