A man in his 20s has pleaded guilty to one of two charges in connection with what RCMP described as the “swarming” of an officer’s vehicle in Surrey last fall.
Gurbakhash Singh Saini received an 18-month probation and conditional discharge in Surrey Provincial Court Thursday, with a judge noting his immediate remorse and guilty plea as mitigating factors. He will not have a criminal record, or face jail or deportation.
Saini, a permanent resident, faced charges of intimidation of the justice system and obstructing a peace officer. The former was stayed by Crown counsel on Thursday.
“This whole process of being detained, arrested, along with the court process, has had a significant deterrent effect on Mr. Saini. He acknowledged his wrongdoing at a very early stage,” said his lawyer, Gagan Nahal.
“He showed genuine remorse today. He did not deny or minimize his involvement … he wanted to apologize to the family of the police officer and the police officer himself.”
The reported swarming took place after 8 p.m. on Sept. 11 outside the Party City at the Strawberry Hill Shopping Mall, where a group of youth was blasting music, according to RCMP. An officer had just served a violation ticket to one of the individuals, whose vehicle had been modified to make it louder.
That’s when the driver of the vehicle became “belligerent” and “uncooperative,” RCMP told Global News at the time, and others in the group began filming the interaction and using foul language.
Parts of the troublesome incident were shared on TikTok.
After the officer served the ticket, a video shows one member of the group asking for the officer’s badge number. He refuses to give it and gets into his vehicle.
A person can be heard shouting, “Bully! Bully! Bully!” at the officer and telling him to “Get the f— out of here!” A caption calls the officer a “Bully racist cop.”
In another video, someone can be seen depositing what appears to be paper on the vehicle windshield. In a different TikTok post, the group can be seen surrounding the RCMP vehicle as it slowly reverses with its lights and sirens activated.
Three men were eventually arrested in connection with the incident, and at least one other faces charges of intimidation of the justice system and willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer. He will appear in court at a later date.
In a previous interview, Surrey Const. Sarbjit Sangha said many in the group were known to police and some had received tickets from the RCMP officer seen in the video earlier that month. She said the officer felt afraid for his safety and reversed because the group was blocking his path forward.
Mounties increased patrols in the neighbourhood after the incident.
A charge of intimidation of the justice system can be laid against anyone who wrongfully compels another person to abstain from doing anything he or she has a lawful right to do.
Surrey RCMP declined to comment on Saini’s case.