Chilliwack man charged after tractor collided with police vehicle amid protest
Posted December 23, 2024 2:49 pm.
Last Updated December 23, 2024 2:50 pm.
A Chilliwack man has been charged after allegedly driving a tractor into a BC Highway Patrol (BCHP) vehicle multiple times during a protest last year.
On Nov. 25, 2023, a tractor travelling on Highway 1 collided with a police cruiser in the early afternoon, causing the tractor to roll over.
At the time, Mounties said that the tractor driver was “possibly involved in a protest.” A convoy of anti-SOGI 123 protesters was working its way from Chilliwack to the PNE in Vancouver that afternoon.
In an update Monday, BCHP confirmed that the tractor and driver were taking part in the protest. The driver was reportedly stopped near Mt. Lehman Road and warned that vehicles not capable of driving 60 kilometres per hour are not permitted on the highway.
“At 12:30 p.m., BC Highway Patrol saw what appeared to be the same farm tractor on Highway 1 near 200 Street, 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 at the 176 Street exit,” Mounties explained.
Police say an officer received minor injuries and the tractor driver received serious injuries in the collision.
The tractor driver, a 54-year-old man, has now been charged with dangerous operation of a conveyance, flight while being pursued by a peace officer, and assaulting a police officer with a weapon.
Police say he was arrested on Dec. 18, 2024, and is expected to appear in court on Jan. 16, 2025.
—With files from Emma Crawford
