A Deroche man was found guilty of dangerous driving after striking several people with a pickup truck at a 2022 residential school march in Mission.
Richard Albert Manuel was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and Judge Edna Ritchie issued her decision in Abbotsford provincial court on Monday (Sept. 23). Manuel attended the decision remotely from Nova Scotia.
The incident in question took place on June 4, 2022 during a March for Recognition to raise awareness about children who attended residential schools. The march left Fraser River Heritage Park and was en route along Lougheed Highway to the former site of St. Mary’s Residential School where four people reported being struck with a pickup truck.
In her reasons for judgment, Ritchie said Manuel drove on the shoulder of Lougheed Highway, ignored the instructions of the flagger, and hit him with his truck instead of tolerating the delay. During the decision, the judge said flaggers were used after march organizers requested the RCMP to assist with traffic control but were denied.
After the flagger was hit, the judge said two or three men involved with the march attempted to take Manuel's keys and a physical altercation ensued.
Per the judgment, Manuel re-entered traffic and clipped another individual. Members of the "Crazy Indian Brotherhood" attempted to stop Manuel but his truck hit two of them. However, the judge was not satisfied Manuel hit the two men deliberately.
"Manuel expressed his anger throughout the period by yelling about permits and uttering racial slurs and saying that he didn't care if he ran people, including children, over," the judge said.
The judge said she wasn't satisfied with the defence's stance that Manuel was driving in a manner that was justified by "defence of necessity". Ritchie said she did not believe critical aspect's of Manuel's evidence.
During the decision, the judge summarized the positions of the Crown and defence, reviewed testimony from witnesses and provided key findings.
According to the judge's summary, Manuel's said in testimony that if someone mucks with his truck or his family, he doesn't care how big they are.
The trial began March 4 in Abbotsford provincial court with police witnesses testifying about the accused’s statements before another pair of witnesses testified that they were hit by a pickup truck near the entrance to St. Mary’s Residential School.
Jeremy Kaastra, who was among those who organized the march, testified that between 100 and 150 people were marching into the entrance when he heard shouts that someone had been hit.
He said a pickup truck was driving towards him and he had little time to react, so he tried to jump out of the way. He said he wasn’t asked to provide a police statement on the scene and reached out later to do so.
Meanwhile, Troy Zelasko told the court he worked as a flagger during the march and wore high-visibility clothing.
Zelasko said the driver came to a stop, yelled out the window, got out of the vehicle and said, “Stop with all this marching bullshit! (You) need to knock it off; people are tired of it.”
He testified that the driver got in his face, poked his forehead and grabbed him by the vest. Zelasko said he knocked the man’s hands away and the driver returned to his vehicle.
Zelasko then put his stop sign up and stood in front of the truck, according to the testimony. He testified that the driver said he would run over kids or anyone who was in his way. He said the truck then hit him on his right side and he was momentarily under the vehicle.
Zelasko said another marcher tried to take the keys, and the driver punched them in the face five or six times.
More witnesses provided testimony in the following days. The trial was initially scheduled for eight days but wrapped up in six on March 12.
Sentencing is set for a later date.
