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

In a controversial case, a 39-year-old man named Siavash Ahmadi was sentenced to four years in prison for a shootout with officers during a police investigation into drunk driving. The shootout occurred on the side of a highway in West Vancouver.

Ahmadi admitted in court that he was under the influence of prescription drugs and alcohol. He got out of his pickup truck, pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired at three officers at the Trans-Canada Highway exit.

One of the officers also fired at him, but no one was injured in the shootout, even though Ahmadi and the officers were only a few metres apart, Judge Marc Jett said in his ruling.

The video of the shootout, which took place in June 2023, was captured on a dashcam of a tow truck driver. The driver had noticed Ahmadi’s black Toyota Tacoma moving slowly with its hazard lights on and sparks from its damaged tire minutes before the collision.

Ahmadi was initially charged with two counts of attempted murder, but eventually pleaded guilty to lesser charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, driving while intoxicated and carrying an unlicensed or loaded firearm.

Ahmadi was “delusional”

The court heard that Ahmadi was recently divorced and living in his parents’ apartment in West Vancouver at the time of the incident. As a recreational hunter and shooter, he owned several legally registered firearms, which were carried under both restricted and unrestricted firearms permits.

The court also heard that Ahmadi had travelled to Iran that year to find work. There, a doctor prescribed him several medications, including benzodiazepines, antidepressants and sleeping pills. After returning to Canada, a friend noticed that he was drinking alcohol while taking prescription drugs. His parents had also noticed changes in his behavior, describing him as “delusional” and “talking nonsense.”

On the night of the police encounter, Ahmadi argued with his parents and left the apartment at around 1 a.m. with a 22mm handgun and a shotgun. His parents begged him not to leave, but he ignored them.

Ahmadi drove to East Vancouver and entered his friend’s apartment. He then argued with a neighbor. The neighbor noticed that one of his tires was flat and had no tread left on the rim.

Calling 911 from the highway exit
After leaving his friend’s apartment, Ahmadi drove to his parents’ house on the North Shore. At about 2:15 a.m., the tow truck driver spotted him at the highway exit.

The tow truck driver told the court that Ahmadi was staggering, his speech was slurred, and he smelled of alcohol when he got out of the car. The driver called 911, and three West Vancouver police officers arrived.

One of the officers asked Ahmadi for his driver’s license. Ahmadi pointed to his car and began searching inside while talking to his father.

The tow truck’s dash cam captured the moment Ahmadi picked up an object and hid it in his waistband. “Given the events that followed, it is reasonable to assume that the object was a weapon,” the judge wrote.

Ahmadi returned to the officers and handed over his license. When an officer asked him to step in front of the police car so that their conversation could be recorded on the police car's dashcam, Ahmadi initially agreed but then hesitated.

Ahmadi took shaky steps back, reached into his trousers and pulled out his gun. He fired twice directly at the police officer, who was just two metres away.

The police officer, who was not injured, drew his own gun from its holster and fired at Ahmadi, but missed him.

Advanced intoxication
The court heard that blood samples taken from Ahmadi at the hospital showed that his blood alcohol level at the time of the shooting was between 47 and 55 milligrams per 100 millilitres. He also had several prescription drugs in his system, including benzodiazepines, antidepressants and sleeping pills.

"It is agreed that he was in a state of near-advanced intoxication at the time of the shooting, resulting from a combination of alcohol and drugs," the court said.

Multiple weapons seized
After the shooting, three more guns were found in Ahmadi’s car, including a rifle and two semi-automatic handguns that were loaded. A search of his parents’ apartment also turned up several other weapons, including rifles, shotguns and handguns that were illegally stored because they were loaded or had no trigger lock.

Prosecutors had asked for an 11-year sentence on all charges, while Ahmadi’s defense attorney had suggested two years of house arrest and three years of probation.

In his ruling, the judge cited aggravating factors including Ahmadi’s decision to arm himself while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated and endangering the lives of others by shooting at police officers and a tow truck driver.

Mitigating factors included Ahmadi’s early admission to the charges, his clean criminal record and his efforts to quit alcohol and drugs after the incident.

“I have concluded that a prison sentence is warranted in this case,” the judge wrote. He sentenced Ahmadi to four years in prison on the weapons charges, deducting 233 days for time served in custody.

For the drunk driving charge, Ahmadi was sentenced to a minimum fine of $1,000 and disqualified from driving for two years.