Optician Gone Mad - CNN
3:36 February 19, 2010
News & Politics
TheBacmaster
The ongoing investigation of a crooked opticians shop by consumer complaints reporter Peter "Watch it, Buddy!" Silverman of CityTVs Silverman Helps has ended in a spectacular dust-up. According to CityNews, the owner of King West Opticians, Adam Plimmer, physically attacked Silverman then locked himself inside his shop in a standoff until he was eventually arrested by the police and charged with assault and assault with a weapon.
The sensational footage (released by CityNews to YouTube, as well) shows 33-year-old Plimmer forcefully smacking the door in Silvermans face as he approaches the shop. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I hit you?" Plimmer screams mockingly, grabbing Silverman's papers and throwing them back at him. He then takes a few swings at the reporter while screaming obscenities, also turning on a TTC driver who stopped to help (Silverman puts up his dukes as well and looks more than ready to clock the guy, whos less than half his age). The clip also shows an emergency police task force moving in and hauling Plimmer away in handcuffs.
Silverman and his camera crew were surprised by the violence. "We were told that morning by a phone message by Mr. Plimmer that all was forgiven," said the 75-year-old former military man.
Apparently the confrontation had been brewing for several months. Silverman had featured Plimmer and King West Opticians on several past episodes of Silverman Helps after uncovering that the store was selling counterfeit Oakley and Gucci glasses. Silverman also reported that Plimmer wasnt a licensed optometrist, and had given at least one customer a bad prescription.
Videos of past segments of the optician saga can be found here and here. They portray Plimmer as a volatile fellow who hits Silverman's umbrella and threatens to sue Gucci and Oakley (for what, exactly, is unclearrefusing to let him sell crappy fakes with botched prescriptions at full price?). The entire segment will air tonight on CityNews at six.
