Carjacker accuses cop of shooting at him 11 times
Nickolas Bullock was pursued by police from Port Coquitlam to Cranbrook in October 2012
A 27-year-old man from Port Coquitlam, who led police on a wild and violent chase across B.C., claims he was shot at 11 times by a pursuing RCMP officer, it emerged at his sentencing hearing Tuesday.
Cranbrook RCMP Const. Richard Drought is already facing charges over the shooting of Nickolas Bullock, who was pursued from Port Coquitlam to Cranbrook after carjacking two vehicles using bear spray last October.
Bullock pleaded guilty to four charges in relation to the incident, including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and flight from a police officer.
However, at Bullock's sentencing hearing in Cranbrook Tuesday, he removed his shirt to reveal two bullet entry and exit wounds and claimed, for the first time in court, that Drought fired into his vehicle 11 times.
A 17-year-old girl in the car with Bullock at the time was not injured.
The shooting was referred to the Independent Investigations Office, who forwarded a report to the Criminal Justice Branch in April, which they do only when they feel there may be grounds to lay charges.
The charges laid against Drought include intentionally discharging a firearm into a motor vehicle, knowing that another person was in the motor vehicle, and intentionally discharging a firearm while being reckless as to the life or safety of another person.
Drought says he feared Bullock was armed and was trying to run him down.
This is the first IIO case resulting in charges laid against an officer. If found guilty, Drought would face a minimum five-year sentence.
He did not appear in person for his first court hearing in Cranbrook Provincial Court on September 16.
He is next due to appear in Cranbrook court on October 21.
Bullock's sentencing hearing continues.
The Crown says Bullock is a violent repeat offender and is asking for a sentence of slightly more than nine years — eight with time served.
Bullock's lawyer, Gary Botting, says the police action was "an egregious form of misconduct and excessive force and should in part reduce Bullock's sentence."
He has asked for three years — one and a half with time served.