Man guilty of aggravated assault in Edmonton road rage attack

A man has been found guilty of aggravated assault in a shocking road rage incident in Edmonton that left a woman with two broken arms.

A judge handed down the verdict to Jared Matthew Eliasson in an Edmonton courtroom on Friday afternoon.

Eliasson was originally charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, possessing a dangerous weapon and mischief to a vehicle in connection with the March 2017 incident. He pleaded not guilty to all four counts earlier this week.

In his decision, the judge said the Crown in the case did not prove that the attack was attempted murder, and as a result, Eliasson found not guilty of the more serious charge.

In a nearly four-hour-long interrogation video released as court evidence, Eliasson told Edmonton police 17 times that he was not involved in the attack.

On March 7, 2017, Chelsey Schendzielorz was attacked in what police described as a “vicious road rage” incident outside her vehicle in southeast Edmonton.

According to an agreed statement of facts, the accused stopped the Pontiac Wave he was driving at 87 Street and 76 Avenue sometime before 7 a.m. The victim drove up behind him and honked her horn several times and yelled: “move.”

The agreed statement of facts says the accused looked over his shoulder and drove his vehicle forward. The victim drove past and drove to her home several blocks away.

She was struck twice with a metal bar as she stood outside her vehicle. She put her arms up to protect her head and both arms were broken. Court documents stated Schendzielorz suffered “significant injuries in the course of the assault” and “required multiple surgeries, including the insertion of metal plates into her arms.”

The defence argued someone else attacked Schendzielorz, arguing there was not enough evidence to prove Eliasson was the attacker.

Watch below: Ongoing Global News coverage of Eliasson’s trial

1:35 Closing arguments in Edmonton metal bar attack

• Closing arguments in Edmonton metal bar attack
• Man accused in ‘vicious road rage’ attack on trial

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