Anti-masker Chris Saccoccia threatened to kill Doug Ford and other premiers, court documents allege

• UPDATE | On March 28, 2023, Saccoccia was found not guilty on all charges listed in this story.

Chris Saccoccia, one of Canada's most ardent anti-mask and anti-lockdown figures, was arrested last week after allegedly threatening to kill Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the rest of Canada's premiers, court documents show.

The most recent charges against Saccoccia, also known as Chris Sky, stem from remarks made during a May 12 phone call with Rob Carbone, the head of the so-called Republican Party of Canada. Elections Canada does not list the party on its website.

Documents from the Ontario court of justice show Saccoccia also allegedly threatened to kill Carbone during that call — a man Saccoccia was often seen associating with until recently.

Saccoccia facing multiple charges

A week after that alleged phone call, officers tried to block Saccoccia's vehicle during an attempted arrest in York Region. Police say Saccoccia reversed and charged toward an officer, "causing him to jump out of the way to avoid being hit."

Saccoccia sped away from the officers and turned himself in the next day, according to police.

The 37-year-old from the Township of King north of Toronto is now facing three charges of uttering death threats, and one count each of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and dangerous operation of a vehicle.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

CBC News has reached out to Saccoccia for comment. On Twitter, he called the allegations "false" and "smear tactics," and said that evidence and witnesses would exonerate him.

Saccoccia was released on bail with a number of conditions, including that he must reside in Markham with his surety each night except with express written permission from his surety stating otherwise, to not contact or be near Ford or Carbone, to not possess any weapons, and to not operate a vehicle.

Posts from Saccoccia's Twitter and Facebook accounts appear to show that he was in Vancouver on Sunday.

He is scheduled to be back in court in July.

Other run-ins with law enforcement

Until recently, Sky and Carbone could be seen together in photos and videos on social media, often at anti-lockdown rallies in Ontario. 

CBC News has also reached out to Carbone for comment.

This is just the latest of several run-ins Saccoccia has had with law enforcement in recent months.

Back in October, Saccoccia was charged with violating the Quarantine Act after he broke federally-imposed travel quarantines to appear at anti-lockdown rallies in downtown Toronto for two weekends in a row after travelling to Europe.

He has also organized demonstrations against COVID-19 public health orders across Canada. 

Saccoccia was previously arrested by police in Thunder Bay, Ont., for organizing a gathering in that city back in April. He was also fined at a Winnipeg anti-restrictions rally that month.

Saccoccia was also one of the organizers of a protest against mandatory mask wearing on Toronto's transit system last July, and helped distribute bogus "exemption cards" in an attempt to get around emergency bylaws the city has enacted requiring face coverings in indoor public spaces.