"Get a f---ing hotel room:" The man could be heard using a homophobic slur and yelling at a gay couple outside Burrard SkyTrain Station in downtown Vancouver.
A Chilliwack man has turned himself in to Vancouver police investigating a viral video of a man who unleashed a homophobic rant against a gay couple in downtown Vancouver.
Vancouver police launched an investigation Tuesday after a 27-year-old man posted a TikTok video of the frightening incident recorded outside Burrard SkyTrain Station last Saturday.
Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion delivered straight to your inbox at 7 a.m., Monday to Friday.
Thanks for signing up!
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Sunrise presented by Vancouver Sun will soon be in your inbox.
The video, posted by Jamie Pine on social media, showed an identified man yelling at him and his boyfriend.
My boyfriend and I were chased off the Skytrain in Vancouver yesterday by this guy. It was extremely scary and a reminder that hate against us is alive and well.. and a bit drunk. pic.twitter.com/KAerD0Wysp
— Jamie Pine (@jamiepine) January 31, 2023
“This guy followed my boyfriend and I on the Skytrain for the entire journey, just standing over us,” said Pine. He said the man stared at them and followed them onto the platform, up the escalator and onto the sidewalk near the bus stop.
In the video, the man could be heard using a homophobic slur, accusing the couple of not being “normal,” telling them to “get a f—ing hotel room,” and throwing a beer can on the ground.
He also asked Pine’s boyfriend whether he’s in Canada. When he said no, he demanded to know where he was from. After someone said “it doesn’t matter,” the man yelled it does “because I don’t want this f—ing s— in my f—ing country.”
“This is the person I love,” Pine told the man calmly. “This is my boyfriend and we deserve to be able to act normal in public.”
While Pine maintained his composure, he said the experience was scary and “a reminder that hate against us is alive and well… and a bit drunk.”
On Saturday, Vancouver Police said the suspect is a 34-year-old man from Chilliwack who had turned himself into VPD hate crime investigators on Thursday.
He was arrested for his role in the alleged incident and for an unrelated firearms offence. Police have not released his name because charges have not been formally laid.
The man has since been released pending a court appearance on March 29.
chchan@postmedia.com
twitter.com/cherylchan
