'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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Kinew, Poilievre meet at Manitoba legislature, discuss each other's priorities
Premier Wab Kinew and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre met at the Manitoba legislature Thursday afternoon.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.