Woman accused by Surrey mayor of hitting him with car sparks investigation into possible misrepresentation

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Vancouver –

No charges have been laid so far in a police case that began when Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum claimed a woman intentionally ran into him, but the investigation has taken a new turn, l RCMP investigation now examining the crime of public mischief and the possibility that someone made false statements to police.

The interaction happened on September 4 at a supermarket in South Surrey.

In an interview with CTV News two days later, McCallum said he and a woman in a convertible Ford Mustang exchanged words, and he alleged that she then hit him on purpose.

So she knocked her car down from there, and at the same time she knocked her down, she turned right and she hit my hip and knee as she turned right, a- he said at the time. I hadn’t moved. I was just standing there. And (she) ran on my foot.

Shortly after his interaction with the driver, McCallum also exchanged words with Ivan Scott, head of the RCMP’s Keep campaign in Surrey, in the same parking lot.

The driver and Scott were at Save-On-Foods to collect signatures for a petition trying to force a referendum on the city’s transition to a municipal force.

McCallum was elected on a promise to cancel the city’s contract with the RCMP and switch to a municipal police model. He had several other public exchanges with those who strongly oppose the plan.

In the interview with CTV News, the mayor said he went to the hospital for x-rays, suffered from ongoing pain and soreness and reported the alleged assault to the police.

Well, the police are considering laying charges, he said. So, well see what they come up with regarding that.

A little over a week later, the RCMP served CTV News with a search warrant demanding that we turn over the entire McCallum interview and all other relevant videos to them.

The documents cite paragraph 140 (1) (a) of the Criminal Code, which reads: Commits public mischief who, with intent to mislead, causes a peace officer to initiate or continue an investigation into making a false statement that accuses some other person of having committed an offense.

The driver, who asked not to be identified, denies hitting McCallum with his car.

We exchanged passionate words, she said in a statement. He told me I didn’t have the power to be there and (he) was going to call the statutes, then I asked him a few times to resign. At no time did I hit it with my car.

Vancouver-based criminal lawyer Sarah Leamon has said the offense of public mischief with intent to deceive is very serious and carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, if crown prosecutors decide that it is a criminal act.

She also told CTV News that the original claim made by McCallum that someone intentionally hit him could result in significant penalties if the charges were deemed appropriate and proven in court.

“(It’s) an extremely unusual situation, so I’m interested to see what happens from now on,” Leamon said. But you know, the danger either side might face is rather important.”

McCallum declined an interview request on Thursday to discuss the latest developments arising from the interaction in the parking lot.

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