‘He pulled my beard’: Physical altercation at Edmonton Walmart investigated by hate crimes unit
Posted Aug 11, 2026 9:18 am.
A long-haul trucker from British Columbia says he was attacked during a work-related stop in Edmonton last week, and the EPS hate crimes unit is investigating.
Talwinger Singh Atwal says his visit to the Walmart on Tamarack Way in south Edmonton on Aug. 6 turned physical.
“One guy and one female, they passed me, and they were saying words against my religious clothes, my identity,” according to Atwal.
In an interview with CityNews’ sister station Focus Punjabi on OMNI TV, Atwal said at first he tried ignoring the couple, but after their multiple attempts to get his attention, he asked them what they were looking for.
“After that, he attacked me on my neck and pushed me away,” Atwal recounted.
“And when he pushed me away and he punched me, and then suddenly on the left side, the female girl, she pushed me, and he pulled my beard.”
A video circulating on social media shows the end of the altercation with Atwal on the ground and his turban partially taken off his head.
CityNews has not been able to independently verify what happened leading up to the moments recorded in the video, but Atwal maintains he was attacked. He believes he was racially targeted. The man and the woman left the scene before police arrived.
Edmonton police say they’re investigating with the assistance of the hate crimes unit.
But Atwal is not happy with the initial response.
“One officer, he told me that, ‘We will see that we will charge you or him or both.’”
“So I said, ‘He left. I am here.’ So he said, ‘Well, no, we will see.’”
The World Sikh Organization of Canada echoed Atwal’s concerns, urging Edmonton police to take the investigation seriously.
–With files from Hiba Kamal-Choufi
