Assault charge possible for 85-year-old driver who appeared to intentionally strike B.C. teens

An 85-year-old driver who seemingly attempted to run down three teens in a shocking caught-on-camera incident in Abbotsford, B.C., could be charged with assault with a weapon, according to authorities.

On Valentine’s Day 2024, security video captured the moment the driver appears to have chased the trio down Carlsrue Avenue before hitting two of the boys and narrowly missing a third.

At the time, police said the boys had been playing nicky nicky nine doors – a prank that involves knocking on doors before running away.

Const. Art Stele, spokesperson for the Abbotsford Police Department, said a charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle is also under consideration. However, the final report to Crown counsel has not yet been submitted.

While the video itself may seem like definitive and damning evidence to a layperson, Stele says there is a lot more required to support a recommendation of criminal charges in this case – which is why no one has been charged nearly five months after the incident.

“Looking at the footage, it is alarming. It is very disturbing,” Stele said. “And it is out of the respect of that that we ensure that any investigations we forward are complete, thorough and factual.”

Expert evidence, forensics, collision reconstruction, victim and witness interviews are some of the pieces that need to be put together, Stele said. Making a case that the driver’s actions were criminal also requires evidence that they were intentional, which means ruling out the possibility that the vehicle malfunctioned and otherwise eliminating the possibility that the acceleration and failure to brake were not deliberate.

Still, Stele says he understands why the months-long timeline between the incident and a report being completed may be frustrating or confusing to the public.

“By no means are we intentionally delaying or taking our time,” he said.

“We do want to ensure that the public understands that in order for us to obtain justice and present a fulsome investigation on behalf of the victims and our community, the Abbotsford Police Department does take ample amount and appropriate time to complete these investigations to present to the justice system.”

Stele said the goal is to make sure this case – and every case – doesn’t get tossed or lost “due to a minor technicality that (police) may have overlooked.”

As for when the report to Crown will be submitted, Stele says that will happen this week or next. Then, it will be up to Crown to decide if the threshold for approving a charge is met.

According to the most recent annual report of the B.C. Prosecution Service, roughly 75 per cent of charge assessments were completed within 30 days of a report being received in the 2022/23 fiscal year.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Kevin Charach