The man involved in a tractor crash on Highway 1 in Surrey in November 2023 has been charged with several charges, including assaulting a police officer with a weapon.
Malkiat (Bill) Shoker appeared at the Chilliwack RCMP detachment on Airport Road Wednesday (Dec. 18) on an outstanding warrant for his arrest, said Paul Dutt, his trial lawyer.
Shoker was charged on Dec. 9 with fleeing police, dangerous operation of a vehicle and assaulting of a police officer with a weapon, court records show.
"We believe he is innocent of any of these charges, with no criminal wrongdoing. We will defend those vigorously," Dutt said outside the detachment Wednesday (Dec. 18).
Shoker was asked to appear at the detachment today to face the charges and be fingerprinted. He was released today with no conditions pending his first court appearance, scheduled for Jan. 16 in Surrey Provincial Court.
"We are here in Chilliwack because Chilliwack (RCMP) took over the investigation. However, it's mandated where the events happened, that's where he will be appearing in court," Dutt added.
"We are not only dealing with criminal charges, which we will vigorously defend, we are also dealing with an individual's right for freedom of speech," Dutt said.
Prior to the November 2023 police incident, Bill Shoker posted several public videos to his Facebook page from the driver鈥檚 seat of a green John Deere tractor.
He narrated where he was on the highway and where he was heading before turning the camera to show his face.
Shoker said his name, his business name (Shoker Farms Ltd. in Chilliwack) and also explained the reason for the stunt, saying it was a protest against an educational resource called SOGI 123.
The tractor was one of several vehicles involved in a convoy that began in Chilliwack and was travelling into Vancouver.
"Whether you're on either side of this, for Mr. Shoker he's on one side of it, but the main factor is that he was still protesting peacefully in his tractor, and he was able to do so, and he should be able to do so under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," Dutt added.
Shoker is still recovering from the injuries he sustained from the incident, Dutt said.
