Assault charge possible for 85-year-old driver who appeared to intentionally strike B.C. teens

An 85-year-old driver who seemingly attempted to run down three teens in a shocking caught-on-camera incident in Abbotsford, B.C., could be charged with assault with a weapon, according to authorities.

An 85-year-old driver who seemingly attempted to run down three teens in a shocking caught-on-camera incident in Abbotsford, B.C., could be charged with assault with a weapon, according to authorities.

On Valentine's Day 2024, security video captured the moment the driver appears to have chased the trio down Carlsrue Avenue before hitting two of the boys and narrowly missing a third.

At the time, police said the boys had been playing nicky nicky nine doors – a prank that involves knocking on doors before running away.

Const. Art Stele, spokesperson for the Abbotsford Police Department, said a charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle is also under consideration. However, the final report to Crown counsel has not yet been submitted.

While the video itself may seem like definitive and damning evidence to a layperson, Stele says there is a lot more required to support a recommendation of criminal charges in this case – which is why no one has been charged nearly five months after the incident.

"Looking at the footage, it is alarming. It is very disturbing," Stele said. "And it is out of the respect of that that we ensure that any investigations we forward are complete, thorough and factual."

Expert evidence, forensics, collision reconstruction, victim and witness interviews are some of the pieces that need to be put together, Stele said. Making a case that the driver's actions were criminal also requires evidence that they were intentional, which means ruling out the possibility that the vehicle malfunctioned and otherwise eliminating the possibility that the acceleration and failure to brake were not deliberate.