A man accused of driving his car toward a person attending a pro-Palestine rally last December pleaded not guilty to two charges Wednesday as his trial began in B.C. Supreme Court.
Christopher Sura Johnson is charged with dangerous driving and assault with a weapon. He was arrested after a Dec. 3, 2023, altercation at the B.C. legislature that was caught on video and shared on social media.
Crown prosecutor Tim Stokes said in his opening submission the court will hear that on Dec. 3, 2023, Johnson was driving on Menzies Street near the legislature where a large rally was taking place.
Johnson idled his car and started interacting with someone at the rally, Stokes said.
He then suddenly accelerated his car and turned left into the path of Omar Babili, “causing Mr. Babili to quickly run out of the way to avoid being struck by Mr. Johnson’s vehicle,” Stokes said.
A witness to the incident, Ali Abou Said, testified he was at the legislature for the rally when he heard a man in a vehicle on Menzies, who he identified as Johnson, yelling insults at a couple, calling them “terrorist supporters.”
Abou Said said he yelled at Johnson to move along and Johnson turned his attention to him, accelerating into a left turn onto the legislature grounds and nearly hitting Babili.
Johnson got out of his car and walked toward Abou Said until he was close to his face, Abou Said testified.
The interaction was captured on video and Johnson can be heard telling Abou Said, a Palestinian man who grew up in Lebanon, to go back to Jordan. He can also be heard saying that what he did is what Palestinians do to Jewish people in Palestine.
Babili testified Wednesday that he attended the rally and volunteered to act as a marshall to keep everyone safe and to report any unusual incidents to police.
He said he was walking across Menzies Street away from the legislature to renew his parking when he heard arguing and turned back.
Videos played in court showed Babili, wearing an orange, high-visibility jacket, crossing Menzies toward the legislature.
The videos, both from an aerial viewpoint and taken on cellphones at ground level, show a light-coloured vehicle that appears stopped in the southbound traffic lane on Menzies before the car accelerates quickly to make a left turn onto the legislature grounds.
Babili can be seen running quickly out of the vehicle’s path. The car comes to a stop in front of poles blocking its way.
Babili testified he heard the sound of an engine revving and started running immediately.
“Is there any doubt in your mind about what would have happened if you hadn’t sprinted out of the way?” Stokes asked him.
“I’m very certain I would have been hit by the car,” Babili responded.
Under cross-examination, Johnson’s defence lawyer, Peter Firestone, challenged Babili’s testimony that the car’s engine revved, replaying one of the videos.
“I suggest to you there’s no revving. Would you agree?”
Babili agreed.
After cross-examination, Stokes asked Babili if the lack of revving changed what he remembers happening.
“Not at all,” he said. The sound he described as revving might be the sound of the engine accelerating as the car moved toward him, he testified.
Johnson is expected to testify Thursday in the trial, which is scheduled to end Friday.
