Accessible parking vigilante pulls video over rape threats

The video of a woman throwing her drinks at a man in Toronto has been removed from YouTube because the she was receiving violent threats, including those of rape.

Ryan Favro, who shot the video that quickly went viral, confronted the woman because she was parked in an wheelchair-accessible parking spot outside of a Toronto Tim Hortons on Monday.

The angry interaction is clearly seen in the video, including when she hurls two cups of coffee at Favro.

Favro has since taken the video down because people took to the Internet to post threatening comments against the woman.

“The threats were advocating finding and raping her or crippling her etc.,” Favro wrote to CityNews.

“She may be an unsavoury person but I want no part in seeing her harmed even if the threats may not be credible.”

Meanwhile, the woman has received a police warning. Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash said Wednesday that Favro declined to press a criminal complaint but officers still paid a visit to the woman.

“We’ve cautioned her for assault and parking in a disabled spot, which is really what we can do under the circumstances,” Pugash said.

Pugash declined to name the woman.

The video garnered attention as far away as the U.K. and New Zealand and sparked howls of social media outrage.

Favro’s video begins with his politely asking the woman why she had parked in the reserved spot as she returns to her Jeep with her Timmies coffee and iced coffee.

“Are you handicapped?” he is heard asking.

“No,” she says, and walks away.

“Well, what makes you so special that you can park in a handicapped spot?” he asks.

“Record me, I’ll break your (expletive) phone,” she says as she gets into the driver’s seat, and slams the door.

When he then persists in asking, “What makes you so special?” she throws the coffee at him.

“I’m taking this to the police, you assaulted me,” he says.

“Good for you!” she yells, before backing up and driving away, licence plate clearly visible in the video.

Regardless, Favro’s efforts to pull back the video demonstrated the difficulties of tamping down on a video gone viral.

“Unfortunately, once it’s on the Internet, it’s hard to take it down,” said his Facebook friend, Natasha Marie. “Yes, you can delete your video on YouTube, but this video has been posted on other news outlets.”

Laura Dixon, in a Facebook comment, said Favro was wrong to try to undo what he had done.

“If the guy was feeling remorse for publishing it, perhaps he should not have posted it online and just gone to the police,” Dixon wrote.

“I agree her language is appalling, she is lazy and inconsiderate, however, this will remain with her for the rest of her life… my father is handicapped and relies on those spaces as do millions of others.”