B.C. man sentenced after impaired driving investigation leads to shootout with police

A West Vancouver Police Department vehicle is seen in this undated file photo. (West Vancouver Police/Facebook)

A 39-year-old man has been sentenced to four years in prison for engaging police in a gunfight during an impaired driving investigation on the side of a West Vancouver highway.

Siavash Ahmadi admitted in court that he was high on prescription drugs and alcohol when he exited his pickup truck, pulled a handgun from his waistband and opened fire on three police officers on a Trans-Canada Highway off-ramp.

One officer returned fire, though no one was struck by bullets during the altercation “even though Mr. Ahmadi and the police officers were only a few metres away from one another,” provincial court judge Mark Jetté wrote in his sentencing decision.

Video of the June 2023 encounter was captured on the dash camera of a tow truck driver who, minutes earlier, had pulled over to help when he saw Ahmadi’s black Toyota Tacoma pickup limping along the 15th Street exit ramp with its hazard lights flashing and sparks grinding from a damaged front wheel.

Ahmadi was initially charged with two counts of attempted murder, but he pleaded guilty to lesser charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, impaired driving and possession of a loaded or restricted firearm.

Ahmadi was ‘delusional,’ court hears

At the time of the incident, Ahmadi was recently divorced and living with his parents in their West Vancouver apartment, the court heard. As a recreational shooter and hunter, he owned several legally registered guns under a licence that allowed him to possess both restricted and non-restricted firearms.

Ahmadi had travelled to Iran – where his family is from – earlier that year to look for work, the court heard. While there, a doctor prescribed him several medications, including benzodiazepines, anti-depressants and sleep medication, according to an agreed statement of facts in the case.

After returning home, a friend noticed he was drinking alcohol while taking his prescribed medications. His parents also noticed changes, describing him as “delusional” and “talking nonsense constantly,” the court heard.

On the night of his altercation with police, Ahmadi got into an argument with his parents, eventually storming out of their apartment around 1 a.m., carrying a .22-calibre pistol and a shotgun. His parents begged him not to go, the court heard.

Ahmadi drove his black pickup to East Vancouver, where he broke into his friend’s apartment and got into an argument with a neighbour. The neighbour noticed one of the man’s truck tires was blown out, with no rubber left on the rim.

911 call from the offramp

Ahmadi left and drove back towards his parents’ home on the North Shore, where he was spotted by the tow truck driver on the offramp at approximately 2:15 a.m.

“He observed that Mr. Ahmadi stumbled when he got out of the car, his speech was slow, and he could smell alcohol coming from the vehicle,” the court heard. The tow truck driver called 911 and three uniformed West Vancouver police officers arrived on scene.

An officer asked to see Ahmadi’s driver’s licence. Ahmadi pointed to his truck and started rummaging around inside while speaking with his father on the phone.

A dash camera in the tow truck captured video of Ahmadi grabbing an object and tucking it into his waistband behind his back. “In light of what followed, I infer that this object was a firearm,” the judge wrote.

Ahmadi returned to the officers and handed over his licence. When one officer asked him to accompany the officer the front of his police vehicle so their interaction would be recorded by the cruiser’s dash camera, Ahmadi began to comply but then hesitated, the court heard.

Ahmadi’s gait was weak and unsteady as he took a step backwards, reached his hand into his pants and pulled out the pistol, looking directly at the officer, who was two metres away, as he fired two shots in quick succession.

Unharmed, the officer removed his own gun from his hip holster and fired at Ahmadi, also missing him.

‘Advanced intoxication’

Worried that Ahmadi might flee during the impaired driving investigation, another officer was waiting in his police SUV, slowly creeping forward as the interaction unfolded.

After the gunshots rang out, the waiting officer hit the accelerator and the police vehicle lurched straight into Ahmadi, “knocking him onto the hood and over the roof,” the judge wrote.

Ahmadi was transported to Lions Gate Hospital with a significant head injury, the court heard. His gun was thrown clear of the scene by the impact of the police SUV.

Samples of Ahmadi’s blood taken during his hospital stay estimated his blood-alcohol level at the time of the shooting was between 47 and 55 milligrams per 100 millilitres, the court heard. He also had multiple prescription drugs in his system, including benzodiazepine, several anti-depressants, and a sleep medication, according to the agreed statement of facts.

“It is agreed that at the time of the shooting, he was in a state approaching advanced intoxication from this combination of alcohol and pharmaceuticals,” the court heard.

Multiple guns seized

Three more guns were found in Ahmadi’s truck after the shooting, including a rifle and two loaded, semi-automatic pistols. A search of his parents’ apartment turned up several more weapons, including numerous rifles, shotguns and handguns, all stored illegally because they were either loaded or lacking trigger locks, according to the judge.

Crown prosecutors sought a sentence of 11 years in prison for all charges, while Ahmadi’s defence lawyer argued he should serve two years of house arrest, followed by three years of probation.

Aggravating factors in the sentencing decision included Ahmadi’s decision to arm himself while intoxicated by alcohol and prescription drugs, and to put lives in danger by driving while impaired and firing his weapon in the direction of police officers and the tow truck driver, the judge wrote.

Mitigating factors included Ahmadi’s decision to enter guilty pleas early in the court proceedings, his lack of a prior criminal record and his efforts to maintain sobriety since the incident.

“I have come to a determination that a penitentiary sentence is required in this case,” the judge wrote, handing down a global sentence of four years’ incarceration for the firearms offences, minus 233 days for time already served in custody.

For the impaired driving conviction, Ahmadi was handed the mandatory minimum fine of $1,000, plus a two-year driving ban.