A 32-year-old man is facing two hate crime charges after police say he shoved an employee and shouted slurs at customers and staff at a kava shop in downtown Vancouver, Washington, on Thursday. Andrew Nathaniel Bruce was arrested soon after leaving Bula Kava House on Main Street, according to police.
The disturbance unfolded at Bula Kava House, located at 610 Main Street, a Vancouver venue that serves traditionally prepared kava drinks, fresh juices, and acai bowls as an expansion of its original Portland location, according to Bula Kava House. Police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said the incident occurred at the shop on Thursday, as reported by KATU. Per the same outlet, Bruce got into an argument with another customer before shoving an employee, who sustained a minor back injury, and yelling slurs at both employees and customers before leaving the business.
Charges Stack Up After Arrest
Bruce now faces two malicious harassment hate crime charges, several assault counts, a charge of intimidating a public servant, and a charge of resisting arrest, the station's report states. He is scheduled for arraignment Friday at 1:30 pm and is expected in Clark County court that afternoon, according to Vancouver police cited in the same account.
Washington's malicious harassment statute, RCW 9A.36.080, classifies hate crime offenses as Class C felonies punishable by up to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000 when an offense is committed maliciously and intentionally based on a victim's perceived race, gender, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristic, according to the Washington State Legislature. The intimidation charge carries even steeper exposure: under RCW 9A.76.180, intimidating a public servant is a Class B felony carrying up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, per Black & Askerov. The resisting arrest count, by contrast, is a misdemeanor under RCW 9A.76.040, topping out at 364 days in county jail and a $5,000 fine, according to Cascadia Daily News.
A Prior Stint Behind Bars in Oregon
Bruce has a criminal history south of the river. The Oregon Department of Corrections confirmed he was imprisoned at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville beginning in June 2017 on charges including burglary and assaulting a public safety officer, and was released in April 2018. Coffee Creek functions as the central intake and assessment center for all adults entering Oregon's prison system, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections.
Beyond criminal court, Washington law gives victims of hate crimes an additional avenue for recourse. Under RCW 9A.36.083, victims can file civil lawsuits seeking actual damages, attorney fees, and punitive damages of up to $100,000 against offenders, independent of any criminal charges, according to Justia. Whether any of Thursday's victims intend to pursue such a claim remains unknown.
Part of a Troubling Statewide Pattern
The incident lands downtown Vancouver's Main Street corridor back in the headlines just months after another high-profile hate crime arrest rattled the city. In March, Vancouver police arrested a 54-year-old man on malicious harassment charges after he allegedly wore a Batman mask, shouted racial slurs, and chased a pedestrian with a pitchfork near a gas station — booked on $40,000 bail, Hoodline reported at the time.
Washington has consistently ranked among the top five states nationally for reported hate crimes since 2018, according to the Washington State Office of the Attorney General, which operates a dedicated hotline to support victims and track bias incidents. Nationally, the picture is more mixed: FBI data released in August 2026 showed reported hate crime incidents fell 7 percent in 2025 to 10,881 cases, with race, ethnicity, or ancestry bias accounting for 55.6 percent of single-bias incidents, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The specific slurs Bruce allegedly shouted have not been detailed publicly, and it remains unclear whether prosecutors will seek enhanced bail at Friday's arraignment.
