A Vancouver man claims he was stabbed at a house party over his alleged involvement in a physical altercation with a woman caught on video. The incident was widely shared and viewed online.
Ian Kelly, 29, told Vancouver Is Awesome in a phone interview that he was at a house party in the wee hours of Wednesday (Feb.9) morning when two men started discussing the viral video that showed him allegedly in a fight with an Indigenous woman near Rupert SkyTrain Station on Saturday.
At around 3 a.m., Kelly alleges that a "drunk scrap" broke out between himself and two other men at a house party in Vancouver. "Some guys called me a woman beater over the viral post."
At one point, he claims that he was stabbed with a "steak knife" and screamed, "are you [expletive] kidding me."
After the fight ended, Kelly went home and bandaged up the wound and attempted to "sleep it off." However, he said the cut was deep and wouldn't stop bleeding so he went to the hospital around 5 a.m.
Kelly was released at 11 a.m. after getting some X-rays, crutches, and pain reliever. While he said the knife didn't do any serious damage, he added that the wounded area is very swollen and it is difficult to walk. (An image of Kelly's injuries appears at the end of this article.)
He spoke to the police at the hospital but said he won't press charges.
Kelly has been outspoken on social media about claims he assaulted the woman outside the SkyTrain station.
In response to the allegation that he uttered racial slurs, Kelly stated: "I wasn't running around saying I'm racist and I love it" and said the group he encountered was drunk and aggressive, adding: "There was nothing racial at all."
When asked if he was a member of the Proud Boys organization, Kelly said he was a member of the group but left it roughly two or three years ago.
"I know this looks bad on me, considering the Instagram posts & accusations of racism, but the altercation was uniquely situational," he said.
The Vancouver man also claims he did not throw the first punch in the altercation and acted in self-defence. "I just reacted," he said.
Kelly admitted he was not wearing a mask inside of the SkyTrain and that he attended the trucker convoy to show support.
The woman in the video, Serenity Ford, told V.I.A. in a previous interview that Kelly and his friends uttered racist language and also instigated the violence.
"They were yelling at us. They crossed the street and started yelling at us some more and calling us [expletive] Native scum," she described.
Kelly told V.I.A. he did not know Ford was Indigenous until she was identified on social media a couple of days after the incident.
When she tried to film the incident, one of the men allegedly put her arms behind her back in an aggressive way, according to Ford. And when her friend was being kicked on the ground, she claims that one of the men "grabbed me and threw me face-first into the ground."
Ford's aunt shared photos of her niece's face covered in scrapes on social media Monday morning along with the video. She commented: "I’m so disgusted with this country."
Metro Vancouver Transit Police respond
Metro Vancouver Transit Police spokesperson Amanda Steed told V.I.A. that Transit Police are investigating the assault that took place around 4:45 p.m. near Rupert SkyTrain Station.
Vancouver Police originally responded to the incident after the department received several 911 calls regarding a fight between several individuals. Police arrested one man for assault and later released him "pending further investigation," she explained.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police have since taken conduct of this ongoing investigation.
"While we are in the early stages of this investigation, we are aware of allegations made on social media that racism played a role in this incident. The alleged claims are being taken seriously and will form part of our investigation moving forward," Steed added.
Kelly has also shared photos of his injuries.
Warning: The photos contain graphic injuries.
