The man responsible for a vicious 2011 stabbing at the Coquitlam Central Station bus loop that almost killed a Maple Ridge man has received an 11-year prison sentence.
Tyrel William Scott stated in a court psychiatric report that he was using drugs at the time and went into "psycho mode" before the incident took place.
"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," said judge R.P. McQuillan in the reasons for sentence. "He claimed to have been so shaken by what he had done that he attempted to kill himself three times by overdosing on fentanyl but was revived each time."
However, the judge noted that the overdoses took place approximately five years after the assault.
The stabbing occurred early on Dec. 15, 2011, when Scott attacked a Maple Ridge man, who was 20 at the time, with a knife shortly after midnight. The victim sustained multiple stab wounds, including one that pierced his heart, and was bleeding profusely before being rushed to Royal Columbian Hospital.
"The attack was entirely unprovoked and apparently without motive," said the judge in the decision, later adding: "His wounds were so severe that he went into full cardiac arrest and CPR had to be initiated while he was being transported to the operating room. The attending surgeon did not expect [the victim] to survive the surgery given the gravity of his injuries."
The incident left the victim with physical and psychological damage, according to court documents, and he is no longer comfortable taking public transportation.
After the attack, police initially had difficulty finding the suspect.
In February 2012, they held a news conference where they released surveillance video of the lead-up to the attack, which led to a witness identifying the man as Scott.
But police did not believe they had enough evidence to charge Scott and the investigation "grew somewhat stagnant over the next several years," said McQuillan
In May 2017, police began an undercover operation known as a "Mr. Big sting" with the intention of getting the suspect to admit to details of the crime. A month after the operation began, Scott made several statements to an undercover officer that led to his arrest. He also agreed to sell three firearms to the officer, which led to additional charges, including violating a lifetime weapons prohibition order stemming from a 2006 arrest for robbery.
The Crown sought a 13-year, nine-month sentence while the defence said a nine-and-a-half year sentence was more appropriate.
In the end, McQuillan decided on an 11-year sentence, minus three-and-a-half years for time served for a global sentence of seven-and-a-half years. Scott will also have to provide a copy of his DNA and faces another mandatory weapons prohibition.
