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London, Ont. Sobeys Shopper Allegedly Called ‘Illegal Alien’ In Harrowing Run-In

The victim, who also reported that he was pushed, decided not to press charges.
The man in the red, left, was warned by police after allegedly pushing and verbally accosting another shopper at Sobeys in London, Ont. on Wednesday.
KATIE MONTOYA/FACEBOOK
The man in the red, left, was warned by police after allegedly pushing and verbally accosting another shopper at Sobeys in London, Ont. on Wednesday.

A shopper who was allegedly pushed and called an "illegal alien" by a stranger in an Ontario grocery store has decided not to press charges.

Police were called to a Sobeys in London, Ont. on Wednesday evening to respond to an argument between two males, Const. Kim Flett told HuffPost Canada in an email.

A video showing part of the incident has been viewed more than a million times on Facebook. In the video, a man wearing a red T-shirt appears to be blocking a shopper from exiting the grocery store.

"I want to leave. Stop assaulting me," the other man says.

A woman off-camera can be heard saying, "Let's go. He can't make a citizen's arrest." She also tells the man in red to stop touching the man in the grey hoodie.

Katie Montoya, the person who posted the video to Facebook, wrote that the man "accuses the young man of being an 'illegal alien' [and] won't allow him to leave the store ... he continues to ask if he's scared to be deported [and] asked the young man to show his Canadian documentation."

Flett said that the suspect was given a warning by police, and the force's hate crimes unit continues to investigate.

In the video, a Sobeys employee can be seen telling the man to stop.

We are all appalled by the behaviour of the aggressor in this video.Sobeys spokeswoman

The company said that an employee had already called 911 when the bystander started filming.

"We are all appalled by the behaviour of the aggressor in this video," spokeswoman Jennifer McCrindle told HuffPost Canada in an email.

"The Manager in charge at that point in the evening was called to the scene quickly and did her best to be present and to remain calm ... She asked the aggressor to leave the store repeatedly."

Employees are co-operating with police, McCrindle said.

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