Saskatoon gas station manager fearful after racist tirade, attack

Hedayet Ullah woke up Monday scared to go to work for the first time since he immigrated to Canada seven years ago.

Ullah was pumping gas for a customer around 11:15 a.m. Sunday at the Shell gas station he manages on Warman Road and Assiniboine Drive when a man he didn’t know approached him from the sidewalk and began screaming at him.

Once the man came closer, Ullah realized he was yelling at him.

“Finally he came toward me, ‘Why are you in Canada? You don’t have any right to be in Canada,’ ” Ullah said, repeating the attacker’s words.

Ullah said the man punched him in the chest when he questioned and tried to reason with him.

Ullah posted a collection of security camera video of the attack to Facebook.

Other customers intervened and the attacker turned his attention towards them as Ullah retreated inside the store.

The situation continued to escalate inside the store as the man began throwing displays to the ground.

“He kicked over all of my chocolate bar stands. He tried to hit me, but we kept a distance,” Ullah said. “The cash register was broken, everything was broken. My store was closed almost until 9 p.m.”

Ullah emigrated from Bangladesh to Swift Current seven years ago before moving to Saskatoon. He said it is the first time he has experienced anything like this.

“I cannot drive. When I tried to drive I was just feeling shaky or something,” Ullah said.

“Now I’m feeling sick a little bit … I’m not feeling safe.”

One of the customers called police and followed the man who began walking down Warman Drive.

The 45-year-old man is facing charges of assault and mischief.