Man claims he was accused of stealing because of his race
The Regina Police Service is investigating an alleged assault after an incident at the Canadian Tire in east Regina on Wednesday afternoon.
Kamao Cappo laid the complaint with police after he and a friend went into the store to buy a chainsaw. They left without it after Cappo says a store employee accused him of stealing, assaulted him and forced them to leave the store.
Cappo believes he was accused because he is Indigenous.
In an emailed statement, a Canadian Tire spokesperson wrote: “We sincerely apologize for the experience that occurred in our store and we are actively reviewing all of the facts surrounding this matter. We are communicating with Mr. Cappo directly, and we hope to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”
As of mid-afternoon Thursday, Cappo had not spoken with a Canadian Tire representative.
According to Cappo, the altercation began shortly after he went to a checkout to pay for the chainsaw.
He wanted to ensure it had the right fuel-mix ratio so he opened the black case holding the chainsaw looking for information.
“We said to the clerk, ‘Can we just leave it here and go check and if it’s different we’ll buy another
The clerk told Cappo to take the chainsaw to customer service.
Cappo had a can of oil and a chain in his hands that he put inside the open case in front of employees. He put the chainsaw case and contents in a shopping cart and wheeled it to customer service and went looking for another chainsaw.
“We were still trying to find a fuel ratio and then a lady approached us and started helping us to find the measurements and the things that we would need to go along with the chainsaw,” Cappo said. “Then the manager, I guess, asked if my friend, who was with me, put a can of oil in that case. I said, ‘I did that.’ And he said, ‘I want you to leave my store because you’re trying to steal.’ ”
Cappo denied the allegation. “We left it at customer service — customer service had custody of it,” Cappo said. “When he said we were trying to steal, that was absurd.”
Cappo refused the employee’s demands to leave the store and a scuffle ensued, which he recorded on his phone.
“I knew if I went along with him and left, that would be telling him that this is fine for him to do,” he said.
Cappo said when he refused to leave the store, the employee became aggressive.
“He started to push me and I think I lost my balance,” Cappo said. “I put out my hand and I may have touched him and then he threw me against the wall and was choking me. I fell to the floor and he proceeded to try to drag and push me out of the store.”
Cappo left the store without the chainsaw. Shortly afterward, he had a headache, shortness of breath, pain in his knee, back spasms and chest pains. Cappo has a heart condition so he went to the Regina General Hospital.
His blood pressure was up, but Cappo left the hospital when his heart checked out OK. On Thursday, he saw a doctor and was given pain medication and told to rest for several days.
He filed a report to the Regina Police Service on Wednesday evening and provided the video to police.
“If a white person walked in there attempting to buy a chainsaw, I don’t think they’d have the same problems,” said Cappo, who has been celebrated for efforts to clean up litter along highways and his work with Indigenous youth at a horse camp.
He’s travelled across Canada and he said Saskatoon and Regina are the most racist cities he’s come across.
Regina police were called to the east Canadian Tire store Thursday afternoon in response to a call involving the threat of the use of firearms received earlier today. Officers are investigating a possible connection to the complaint of the alleged assault.
Violence is not the way to fight racism, Cappo said.
“If I’d reacted in violence, nothing good would have come of this,” he said.
He filed a complaint with the police “because Indigenous children, women and elderly people receive this treatment all of the time and there is no one to protect them,” he said.
The video he posted on social media has received thousands of hits.
Cappo is surprised by the massive support he’s received from so many — including white people.
As a member of the Bahai faith, he says he believes in racial unity and peace and harmony.