Man who went into 'psycho mode' during random Coquitlam assault gets 11 years
Credit to Author: Keith Fraser| Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2019 22:29:23 +0000
A man who says he went into “psycho mode” when he randomly attacked another man at a bus loop has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
In addition to the aggravated assault committed by Tyrel William Scott, 41, on Cody Cardiff, the sentence takes into account other convictions for possession of firearms and possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking.
The assault on Cardiff, 20 years old at the time, occurred on Dec. 15, 2011 after the bus he was riding in had arrived at the Coquitlam Centre bus loop and he had disembarked from the vehicle.
Scott, who had been riding the same bus on a seat adjacent to Cardiff, got off the bus at the same time as Cardiff, approached him and offered him a cigarette before pulling out a knife and stabbing the victim twice in the torso.
“The attack was entirely unprovoked and apparently without any motive,” Provincial Court Judge Robin McQullian said in his sentencing ruling. “Mr. Scott was unacquainted with Mr. Cardiff.”
When police arrived at the scene, they found Cardiff on the ground, bleeding profusely from two stab wounds to his chest and stomach.
While being rushed to the hospital, Cardiff went into shock and when he arrived, he went into full cardiac arrest. He was initially not expected to survive and underwent surgery.
A victim impact statement noted that Cardiff had been left with a significant scar from the surgery which affected his self-image and was constantly reminded of the horrific night of the attack.
“More than six years after the attack, he continues to suffer from nerve pain that sends shooting spasms through his upper body,” said the judge. “Because of the random attack on him, Mr. Cardiff is unable to trust people or to go out in public where there is a large group of strangers, as he panics and goes into fight or flight mode.”
Scott was identified as a suspect in the aftermath of the assault, but police had insufficient evidence to lay any charges. In 2017, he was the target of a so-called Mr. Big undercover police operation that resulted in him confessing to the attack.
During the undercover operation, he also agreed to sell three firearms to undercover officers. He was arrested in September 2017 and charged with several drug offences, including possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking.
Scott, who pleaded guilty to the aggravated assault and the drugs and weapons offences, attributed the attack to his use of methamphetamines.
“He said that he had been using at the time and when a woman on the bus had given him a strange look, which he described as a ‘dirty look’ in the direction of Mr. Cardiff, he went into ‘this psycho mode’ which led to him following Mr. Cardiff off the bus and stabbing him,” said the judge.
“He said that after the attack, he was crying and could not understand how he could do such a thing to someone whom he did not even know.”
Scott was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison for aggravated assault and the drugs and weapons offences, reduced to 7-1/2 years after receiving credit for pre-sentence custody.