The trial of a driver believed to be at the centre of what RCMP have called a “bizarre and violent incident” began in Vernon on Tuesday.
The charges stem from a February 2016 incident on 27 Avenue in Vernon. At the time, police said a female pedestrian was hit by a vehicle and the driver was stabbed.
On Tuesday, Abd’L-Malik Loubissi-Morris pleaded not guilty to four charges, including assault with a weapon.
The Crown alleges Loubissi-Morris deliberately used a vehicle as a weapon and took aim at three pedestrians, hitting 23-year-old Lisa David — a stranger to him — while the other two dove out of the way.
The motive, according to the Crown, was either a perceived slight or a concern that David had witnessed illegal drug activity.
The prosecutor said David was hit and pinned under the vehicle and could have been severely injured.
The Crown argued she avoided serious injury by chance when her friend Thomas Ritchie stepped in, smashing out the driver’s window and turning the steering wheel, which ultimately freed David from under the car.
Ritchie also stabbed and pepper-sprayed the driver and ultimately pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon.
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On Tuesday, an RCMP officer testified Loubissi-Morris appeared to be in “rough shape” following the incident. Defence counsel went through pictures, pointing out a deep wound and dried blood on his face and neck.
The defence appeared to focus on how the accused was also victimized during the incident.
One of the four charges Loubissi-Morris is facing and has pleaded not guilty to is drug possession.
An RCMP officer testified he found drugs in a shoe in a hospital operating room where the accused was being treated after the incident.
What was found was originally believed to be heroin or cocaine but later determined to be five grams of fentanyl.
Under cross-examination, the police officer admitted he did not see the shoe come off the accused’s foot, raising possible questions about whether Loubissi-Morris was in possession of the drugs.
The trial is expected to last two or three more days.
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