KENTVILLE, N.S. — A Dartmouth man who was shot after pulling a handgun on an RCMP officer during a traffic stop in Kings County last year has changed his plea to guilty on four of 12 charges.
Dhari Salman Shalaan, 27, was scheduled to start a three-day trial Wednesday in Kentville provincial court, but defence lawyer Trevor McGuigan told the court his client would instead plead guilty to assaulting a peace officer, pointing a firearm, possession of a concealed weapon and possessing a firearm while prohibited.
Shalaan confirmed his guilty pleas when asked by Judge Ronda van der Hoek if he was doing so freely.
Crown attorney Dan Rideout presented the court with a basic outline of the case, and said a full agreed statement of facts would be presented at Shalaan's sentencing next year.
Rideout said RCMP Const. Brad Savage pulled over Shalaan's vehicle on Highway 101 near the Berwick exit at about 4 a.m. last Dec. 11 because he was speeding and had a burned out headlight. After speaking to Shalaan, the officer detained him because he was giving indications of being impaired. He also noticed that Shalaan was acting oddly, and was tucking his elbows and moving his hands by his sides.
The officer asked Shalaan to come back to the police car, and noticed that he was holding his arm against side as if he was hiding something inside his jacket.
Shalaan refused to be searched to ensure officer safety, and told he was being arrested for obstruction. That's when an altercation took place.
“Mr. Shalaan spun around and physically resisted Const. Savage, resulting in the two being separated by several feet," Rideout said. "Const. Savage drew his service pistol and saw what appeared to be a gun in Mr. Shalaan's hand pointing at him. Mr. Shalaan yelled 'freeze!' and Const. Savage discharged his service pistol, resulting in Mr. Shalaan being shot in the thumb.”
Shalaan fled on foot, and the officer stayed at the car for safety and because there was another occupant in the vehicle.
Backup arrived and the area was cordoned off while officers, including the emergency response team, searched for Shalaan. He was discovered a couple of hours later hiding in a nearby wooded area along Parker Condon Road, which runs parallel to Highway 101.
The highway was closed for more than a day as police started to search for the handgun Shalaan used. It was found six days after the incident in woods near where Shalaan was arrested.
There were no rounds in the revolver, and a spot of blood on the handle was tested and found to be Shalaan's.
He was also charged with resisting arrest, escaping custody, impeding performance of duty while using violence, impeding performance of duty by threatening to use violence, using a firearm while fleeing police, careless handling of a restricted weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and illegal possession of a firearm. Those charges are expected to be dismissed after his sentencing next year.
Shalaan pleaded guilty in 2012 to two charges of assault with a weapon in relation to a stabbing in Spryfield in 2011.
He was sentenced in May 2014 to three years in federal prison for two weapons-related charges, one count of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of breaching probation and one count of possession of stolen property.
In April 2018, Shalaan was sentenced to 45 days in prison for possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
