The man is not being identified but an email from his legal counsel included a public apology

A man who was caught on camera spitting on the elevator buttons in a Vancouver condo is now apologizing

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A man who was caught on camera spitting on the elevator buttons in a Vancouver condo building is now apologizing for his actions.

The man is not being named, but an email from his lawyer contains an apology, where the man calls his actions “reprehensible and inexcusable.”

“The incident occurred as a result of a momentary fit of anger resulting from an ongoing dispute with the strata council in the building where I own a unit,” the man says.

He adds while he can’t explain his actions, he insists he’s an “otherwise good, law-abiding citizen.”

“A public apology is not enough in this case. It is difficult to express how horrified I feel about my conduct, especially given the pandemic that worries everyone,” he says.

“I do sincerely apologize to the residents of the building as well as the general public.”

He says the incident was a momentary fit of anger and stemmed from an ongoing dispute with the strata council in the building. He says he has no symptoms of COVID-19 – and will be making a donation to the strata council. He will also be seeking professional counseling. @NEWS1130 — Tarnjit Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) April 12, 2020

The man says the incident happened eight days ago and says he has no symptoms of COVID-19.

As part of his apology, he will be making a donation to the strata council to cover the cost of extra sanitation.

He’s also seeking professional counselling.

The man adds, “There is really no way to make this right. All I can do is express how sorry I am that this happened and to assure nothing like this will ever happen again.”

Marie Hui, a resident of the building at First Avenue and Quebec Street, took to Twitter on Friday after getting her hands on the footage, which shows the man spitting on the elevator buttons in her Olympic Village building.

Hui didn’t shoot the video but says she saw evidence firsthand.

“I actually was in the elevator and saw the spit, and I obviously didn’t touch any part of it,” she says. “I’m just completely disgusted, especially during this pandemic.”

Later someone showed Hui the footage.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was beside myself knowing that this guy was here, knowing that he spat on a place where people have to press buttons.”

She said she was particularly shocked because all of her neighbours in the building have been careful, and the building has been diligently cleaned.

“This is a major shock. Everybody here has been very respectful of everybody’s space,” she said, adding people have been waiting for the next elevator when they see someone else on board.

According to the VPD spokesperson, Tania Visintin, police will not be investigating the incident.

With files from Lisa Steacy and Kareem Gouda