Frederick Mall Pharmacy owner Ramzy Shaker was at a nearby Tim Hortons Wednesday morning, just before he was about to open, when he said he was attacked. “All of a sudden someone hit me in the head right here,” Shaker said. “He screamed in my face and said ‘I know you gave everyone that shot’ and kept punching me.” Shaker says he was hit three times in the back of his head, stomach and legs. The alleged assault continued until a bystander and an off-duty police officer stepped in to help. The man was later arrested. “I really owe him my life,” Shaker said. “If he wasn’t around I’d be dead from the punches.” The pharmacist says he’s never been afraid to go to work until now. “I am very afraid,” said Shaker. “I’m watching my back now. “I’m in a lot of pain.” However, on Wednesday he had to go to work, because he couldn’t find someone to cover his shift. “Around 1pm she started coughing and vomiting blood,” said Katrina Liddell, a member of staff at the pharmacy. “Then we had to close the doors and call the ambulance to take him to hospital.” In a statement Saturday, Waterloo Regional Police say a 28-year-old Kitchener man assaulted four people and damaged two vehicles. He was arrested by the off-duty officer and a civilian and has been charged with multiple offenses, including three counts of assault, assault on a peace officer and two counts of mischief under $5,000. “I want to help get the justice that needs to be done,” Liddell said. Police say they are investigating and looking to determine a motive for the attacks and whether they were targeted. The Ontario Pharmacists Association says assaults on pharmacists have increased since the start of the pandemic. “While there may be disagreements about policy and mandates in health care, it does not give anyone the right to treat anyone with disrespect,” said Justin Bates, the association’s CEO. Shaker says that despite the pain and fear he feels, he will continue to do the work he loves. “The message I want for all pharmacists is to be careful, be careful,” he said.
