A man has been charged in Abbotsford with seven offences after allegedly becoming violent in a restaurant, threatening customers and yelling racial slurs.
Sgt. Paul Walker, media relations officer with the Abbotsford Police Department (APD), said the incident took place on Friday (March 10) in the 30300 block of Auto Mall Drive. The only restaurants located at that address are an attached Tim Hortons and Wendy’s.
Walker said police were called at 8:50 a.m. about a man who was throwing chairs inside the restaurant, smashing a table and threatening customers. He said some of the threats involved using a gun.
Walker said, when staff asked the man to leave, he played loud music and kicked a self-serve kiosk and the exit doors.
The man also made a series of racial slurs toward staff, he said.
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He said there were about 30 customers and staff in the restaurant at the time.
“Police immediately attended the area and located the man leaving the restaurant on foot. As officers approached the man to make an arrest, the man fled on foot,” Walker said.
Two officers chased the man and arrested him a short distance away. At that time, they confirmed that he did not have a gun on him.
Jacob Steven Froese, 21, has now been charged with assault with a weapon, public incitement of hatred, causing a disturbance, mischief, resisting a peace officer, and two counts of uttering threats.
“This type of behaviour is unacceptable. That day, the customers and staff faced a very unpredictable and volatile situation. Yet, even when faced with this, many treated this man with compassion and attempted to de-escalate the situation before calling the police,” Walker said.
“No one should ever be the recipient of racial slurs … This type of behaviour will not be tolerated within our community.”
Froese also has charges before the courts from Jan. 31 in Abbotsford for theft, assaulting a peace officer and resisting a peace officer.
vikki.hopes@abbynews.com
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