100 Mile House RCMP are sharing the report of a woman who experienced harassment by two men while she was wearing her government-mandated face mask.
The woman stopped to make a transaction on Saturday (Nov. 21) at 6:30 p.m. at the Bank of Montreal in 100 Mile House. While waiting outside of the bank, two men in a white older model Volkswagen Jetta stopped and started coughing toward her and laughing at her.
The music was playing loudly, so the woman was unable to hear exactly what they were saying, according to her statement to police.
The passenger of the vehicle eventually jumped out and came toward her while coughing and laughing.
She was able to enter the BMO safely and complete her transaction without further harassment, but as she left the bank, the car was still outside and the music was lower.
The men continued to make vulgar comments, such as, "You're going to die anyways," and, "You should all die."
Luckily, she made it to her car safely and took a picture of the vehicle before she left. She posted it to social media where it was widely shared and commented on.
On Sunday (Nov. 22), she reported the incident and photo to police.
100 Mile House RCMP say they are investigating the situation and have completed a video canvas of the local area(s) where the car was suspected to travel, but there was no evidence to further the investigation. Police say it is possible the harassment may have been racist as well, as the woman is Indigenous.
"At this time, there is no evidence to suggest hate or race was an aggravating factor in this harassment complaint, as the victim could not specify any remarks of that nature to police, however, this is a very troubling event which greatly and understandably affected the victim a great deal," says S/Sgt. Svend Nielsen of the 100 Mile RCMP.
"The 100 Mile House RCMP find this behaviour disgusting and unacceptable and notes that every person has the right to feel safe in their community and has the right to protect themselves via health protocols as they see fit without fear of harassment or vulgarity."
The passenger was described as a 30-35 years old caucasian male, with short light brown hair and a full short beard, approximately five-foot-seven, with a stocky build. The driver of the vehicle was wearing a ball cap, but no further description is available.
Police are now asking for these men to come forward to speak about this situation.
Anyone with information is also asked to contact BC Crime Stoppers if they wish to remain anonymous at 1-800-222-8477.
