IIO BC says no police officer committed an offence in Surrey incident involving tractor

9 February 2024

THE Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC said on Friday that it had determined that there are no reasonable grounds to believe any police officer may have committed an offence in connection to the serious harm that one man sustained during a motor vehicle incident involving a tractor in Surrey.

The Chief Civilian Director reviewed the evidence – civilian witness statements, forensic scene analysis, video footage, medical records, and police information – in the case.

At approximately 1:20 p.m. on November 25, 2023, members of the BC Highway Patrol attempted to conduct a traffic stop of a farm tractor travelling westbound on Highway 1 approaching the 176^th Street exit.

As a result of the interactions between the police vehicles and the tractor, the vehicles were located on Hwy 17 when a collision occurred.

The tractor rolled over, and male driver of the tractor was ejected from the vehicle. The driver sustained a serious injury and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The IIO BC said that due to concurrent court proceedings related to the incident, its public report will not be released on the IIO website until that process has concluded.

THE VOICE reported last November that the farmer who led the RCMP on a chase on his John Deere tractor on Highway 1 in Surrey on Saturday was identified on social media as Bill Shoker of Shoker Farms Ltd. in Chilliwack.

Shoker posted videos on his Facebook page and said he was protesting against SOGI 123.

In one video he said: “I would like all the parents watching this … if you love your children, please support this cause before it is too late. Thank you.”

Shoker ended up flipping his tractor. He also reportedly damaged an RCMP cruiser. He was arrested.

His wife told the media that her husband was in hospital and was to undergo surgery.

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