'Rocked me to the core,' says man charged in Costco incident
David Lavoie, the man accused of assaulting a Muslim man in a Costco parking lot last month, is speaking out and tells a much different story of how events transpired.
“It has rocked me to the core, to be called a racist,” he says.
Lavoie claims the events began when a vehicle pulled in front of his truck as he was preparing to leave.
“I gave my truck a honk of the horn, which, if you’re right in front of my vehicle, you will hear that horn.”
Lavoie claims there was no response from the car, and he proceeded to honk twice more, with no response from the vehicle blocking his path.
“I said they aren’t moving, they aren’t doing anything, not acknowledging, not validating. So I got out of the truck and banged on the side window, nothing.”
He then claims to have come around the front window, to see inside the vehicle, and ask them to move once again.
“And it was like deer in headlights, that straight-looking gaze, not validating, not looking, not communicating, nothing.”
At this point the situation escalates when Lavoie opens the passenger door and a verbal altercation takes place. Moments later when the car is parked two men exit the vehicle with raised fists according Lavoie.
“Both their fists were raised and they were ready to attack me at the same time, I noticed by looking at the vehicle it had Michigan plates on.”
During the ensuing verbal altercation, Lavoie claims to have said, 'F-ing Americans, go back to your country.'
However Dr. Rubina Tahir, who was in the car, remembers it differently, providing a written response to our request.
“I know what I heard…I heard a visibly irate man tell us to go back to our f-ing country.. and nothing about America.”
It's something her brother Nawaz Tahir, a spokesperson for the London Muslim Mosque who was not present for the incident, says strikes a very raw nerve.
“It’s that whole package of the venom, the statement, the anger that’s behind it. That’s troubling to the recipient.”
Lavoie says that as an Indigenous veteran he has worked for years to push for equality in his role as a social worker.
The assertion in the media at the time portraying him as a racist has hurt him personally and professionally.
Lavoie’s lawyer Phil Millar takes issue with how the story was portrayed.
“No one called to get his side of the story, and so the media kind of took an easy story and in the end has destroyed or damaged David’s life. Because now he’s in hiding, he’s getting harassed online, he’s being called a terrorist and a racist."
Lavoie is charged with one count of assault, with a court date on Feb. 16, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
Toronto police seek suspect vehicle after security guard shot outside Drake's mansion
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
World's record-breaking hot temperature streak stretches through April
The world just experienced its hottest April on record, extending an 11-month streak in which every month set a temperature record, the European Union's climate change monitoring service said on Wednesday.
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.