Alleged road rage incident followed Grimshaw anti-racism protest

EDMONTON (CityNews) – Tiera Williams says her experience was something out of a horror film.

The racial justice advocate says she and her mom were driving back home to Edmonton from Grimshaw, Alta., on Saturday when a truck driver allegedly attempted to force them off the road.

Williams, the co-founder of humanitarian group “A Fight for Equity,” was in the northern Alberta town protesting after a picture emerged earlier this month of a man wearing a hooded mask that resembled a Ku Klux Klan hood. The man was reportedly outside a business in Grimshaw.

While at the protest, Williams alleges a number of vehicles followed their group, parked and revved their engines while watching the rally. She says they were being “generally unwelcome.”

On their way back to Edmonton, Williams claims they suspected a truck was following them. That’s when things became dangerous, she says.

The truck allegedly sped up to pass them, only to come to a dead stop. Then the truck began tailgating close behind.

“Bumper to bumper following us,” recounted Williams. “It was like a scary movie. Very intense. And that’s when my mom says, ‘it’s that blue truck!’

“He ends up speeding back up, so now we’re window to window – his passenger side to my window side. And that’s when he starts swerving into me, and he does this three different times. So I’m swerving into the shoulder to try and not get sucked into the snow in the ditch.”

Williams called RCMP to report the alleged incident on Monday.

Alberta RCMP say they are investigating, but have not been able to locate the truck without a license plate number. They could not find evidence the truck followed Williams and her mother from Grimshaw, either.

Mounties did recommend that people call police as soon as they see an erratic driver on the road, even if a license plate number is not visible.

Photo taken in Grimshaw, Alta. on Jan. 23, 2021. (Credit: FACEBOOK/Tiera Williams)

Williams says the fearful experience was a continuation of the reason her group travelled to Grimshaw.

“If you see something that’s wrong, stand up and say something, even if you’re alone,” she said.

In response to the photo of the hooded man, Grimshaw Mayor Bob Regal initially denied his town is a racist community. He later backtracked those comments.

In a statement to CityNews, Regal said “we realize that racism exists in all communities and ours is no exception. Council commits to researching, identifying, and engaging resources to create awareness and understanding.”

Opposition NDP leader Rachel Notley called the incident “vile and disgusting.”

“Hate has no place in our province. We must do everything we can to root out and call out racism in order to combat it in every one of its forms,” Notley wrote on Twitter.

RCMP say they have spoken with the man pictured in the hooded mask. They have not released his name as they continue to consult with Crown prosecutors.

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