A man has been charged in a shocking incident of alleged road rage in Vancouver last year that that started with a near collision and ended with a pedestrian being run over.
Kevin Peter Prichard, 53, is accused of assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, and failing to stop and offer assistance at the scene of the Oct. 13, 2023 collision which was partially captured on video by bystanders.
“It was a road rage investigation that resulted in a very serious incident,” Sgt. Steve Addison with the Vancouver Police Department told Global News Tuesday. “To see one of those conflicts escalate to this level of violence is extremely unusual.”
Police allege the driver of a Nissan Xterra was attempting to turn right from Bute Street onto Robson when he was forced to slam on the brakes to avoid colliding with a pedestrian crossing at the corner.
The pedestrian, a 48-year-old Surrey man, became angry and began banging on the passenger side window, according to police, before walking to the front of the SUV, where the driver lurched forward, knocking him to the ground.
Reached on Tuesday, Prichard declined an on-camera interview but told Global News he feared for his safety after the pedestrian slapped his car.
“He hit it with his hand on purpose,” Prichard said. “I came to a complete stop to say something and to have a conversation and then he started trying to reach inside my car … my window was halfway up.”
The situation then escalated, said Prichard.
“He started to reach in through the passenger window and reach at me and he couldn’t do that so then he decided to try breaking the window by shaking it back and forth.”
“That’s when I was just like I want to get the hell out of here. When I stepped on the gas, he ran in front of my car.”
Police said the bystander video only formed part of the evidence that led to criminal charges being approved.
“While the video was compelling, while the video did tell part of the story, we also relied on witnesses, other forms of evidence an inspection of that vehicle, bystanders and other sources of video to piece together everything that happened and gain a full understanding of the incident,” Addison told Global News.
The pedestrian was treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to police.
Prichard’s next court appearance is in February.