Article content

Police say they have identified and located the individual responsible for an assault at the Richmond Public Library on Wednesday.

In a video that made the rounds on social media throughout the day, a man was seen kicking a librarian in the stomach before sprinting away.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Here's the kicker: Suspect in Richmond Library assault has been located, police say Back to video

The woman, in her early 60s, was knocked to the floor by the kick. But while she was shaken up, she was not injured, police said.

Photo by K Zu YouTube

The assailant was described as a clean-shaven man of Asian background in his early 30s.

Police said the incident, which took place during a public open house for a proposed temporary modular housing project in the city, was unrelated to the community presentation. Neither was it racially motivated.

“This was an isolated incident that was not racially or ethnically motivated,” said Cpl. Dennis Hwang. “We remind people to exercise a critical lens in what they see, hear or read before any judgments are made.”

Police thanked the public for their help, but also urged witnesses to contact the authorities before sharing video of a police matter to social media.

“If anyone has witnessed or filmed an incident that may require our involvement, please contact the police first,” Hwang said.

hmooney@postmedia.com

CLICK HERE to report a typo.

Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.