Image: BC Highway Patrol / BC Highway Patrol says a 54-year-old Chilliwack man is facing three criminal counts after the tractor he drove collided multiple times with a BC Highway Patrol vehicle during a protest a little over a year ago.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Chilliwack man charged

Chilliwack man facing 3 charges for allegedly crashing his tractor into a police vehicle multiple times

Dec 23, 2024 | 10:01 AM

CHILLIWACK — BC Highway Patrol says a 54-year-old Chilliwack man is facing three criminal counts after the tractor he drove collided multiple times with a BC Highway Patrol vehicle during a protest a little over a year ago.

According to a statement from BC Highway Patrol spokesperson Corporal Michael McLaughlin, Malkiat Singh Bill Shoker was charged with dangerous operation of a conveyance, flight while pursued by a peace officer and assaulting a police officer with a weapon, all in violation of the Criminal Code of Canada.

The incident unfolded on November 25, 2023, just before 10:30 a.m. BC Highway Patrol received a complaint about a westbound John Deere farm tractor being driven on Highway 1 near Mt. Lehman Road as part of a protest. BC Highway Patrol stopped the farm tractor and warned the driver that vehicles not capable of 60 km/h were not allowed on the highway. At 12:30 p.m., BC Highway Patrol officers saw what appeared to be the same farm tractor on Highway 1 near 200 Street in Langley. When police attempted to pull the farm tractor over, it did not stop, allegedly causing multiple collisions with a police vehicle before the farm tractor flipped on its side.

Image: BC Highway Patrol / Damaged police vehicle.

According to the Canadian Press, photos from the collision posted to social media at the time showed a John Deere tractor on its side, and that it was flying a black and white flag that read “stop SOGI 123,” an apparent reference to a set of classroom guidelines on sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Several protests erupted in cities across Canada last fall by those opposed to the educational resource intended to create more inclusive classrooms.

The Independent Investigations Office issued a statement in February 2024 after concluding its investigation into the Highway 17 crash in Surrey, saying it had cleared police of any wrongdoing.

The tractor driver suffered serious injuries, while a police officer received minor injuries as a result of the collision.

Image: BC Highway Patrol / Damaged police vehicle.

Shoker was arrested on December 18, 2024, and his next appearance will be in Surrey Provincial Court on January 16, 2025.