Video of senior throwing punches at B.C. Tim Hortons prompts police investigation

A video of a senior punching a fellow patron at a Vancouver Island Tim Hortons has racked up millions of views and prompted a police report.

A video of a senior punching another patron at a Vancouver Island Tim Hortons has garnered millions of views and prompted a police investigation.

The altercation happened in late April, but 24-year-old Isaac Campbell posted the video on social media over the weekend. It appears the person who was punched is a teenager, he said.

Campbell said he was standing in line at the Tim Hortons on the Patricia Bay Highway in Saanich when a chocolate bar whizzed past his head.

“I turned around. There’s like a 14-year-old kid standing there,” Campbell said. “I just kind of gave him the stink eye and then I heard an old man start yelling, so I just whip the phone out. I knew something was going to go down.”

The video shows a young patron sitting in a booth and getting hit multiple times by an older man. Campbell said the boy was throwing food and other items around the restaurant, including at the senior’s wife.

“(It) got broken up pretty quick. People started yelling,” Campbell said.

Customers can be heard reprimanding the boy and asking for a manager.

“Then another guy walked up and he heard what happened. I guess he kind of wanted to get a punch in too – so he just smacked the kid upside the head,” Campbell said.

The Saanich Police Department did not receive any reports from the Tim Hortons on the day of the incident, but has launched an investigation since the video started racking up views.

“The age disparity between the two individuals involved is piquing a lot of people’s interest, including ours,” Insp. Damian Kowalewich said.

“People who do take matters into their own hands can face consequences. That being said, looking at what led up to that could also have its own consequences.”

Authorities are asking anyone who saw what happened or who has information to get in touch.

“The video itself shows a very short snippet of what was likely a larger event inside the coffee shop,” Kowalewich said.

“We’ve spoken to one individual who was involved in that situation so far. We don’t have the full picture yet.”