'Looked awesome': Accused in murder-conspiracy trial says unaware gun prohibited
![Coutts blockade Demonstrators gather as a truck convoy blocks the highway the busy U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alta., on Jan. 31, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2022/2/1/coutts-blockade-1-5762491-1643743001334.jpg)
One of two men charged with conspiring to murder RCMP officers at the Coutts, Alta., border blockade two years ago testified Tuesday he wasn't aware that the custom-made rifle he had purchased was a prohibited weapon.
Chris Carbert said he paid $5,000 for the DPS Panther A15 rifle found under his mattress in an early morning police raid of a trailer in the village the night he was arrested.
Carbert and Anthony Olienick are being tried together before a jury in Court of King’s Bench in Lethbridge.
The two were charged after police made arrests and seized weapons at the blockade in early 2022.
Carbert said he purchased the assault rifle two weeks before the blockade began but hadn't even sighted the scope for it.
"It says DPS Panther A15. Did you know what kind of gun it was? What I mean by that is...what type of firearm it was?" Crown prosecutor Steven Johnston asked Carbert. "What made it special to you?"
"That it was custom built and just it looked awesome," Carbert replied.
"Do you know what an AR-15 is?" said Johnston. "I'm going to suggest to you that the reason you paid $5,000 plus another $1,500 for a scope for it is because you knew it was an AR-15. That's a special gun in Canada."
"OK, but I didn't know," Carbert said.
Carbert has testified he brought guns and body armour to the blockade but said there was no plan for violence unless he had to perhaps flee to the mountains and fend off someone trying to give him a COVID-19 vaccine shot.
He also told the jury that he had little to do with Olienick and others staying in the trailer, that he was "grumpy and sick" as he tried to recover from COVID-19.
Johnston, in a tense exchange with the accused, suggested when Carbert was arrested in the police raid, he did more than just call a lawyer before surrendering. He said Carbert attempted to hide his weapons and had to make a decision.
"You were trying to decide, ‘How do I come out? Do I come with my hands on my head’ or on the trigger of your gun? That's what you were trying to decide." said Johnston.
"Definitely not,” Carbert said.
"You were thinking, ‘Is this the war? Is this them coming for me and is this my war?'" Johnston continued.
"Definitely not."
"Even all that talk that you've given us if they came for you out in the mountains." Johnston said.
"But we're nowhere near that point, Mr. Johnston," Carbert said. "They're not coming to stick a needle in my arm."
The protest against COVID-19 rules and vaccine mandates tied up traffic for two weeks at the Alberta-U.S. border crossing at Coutts.
It ended quickly and peacefully when police seized weapons and made arrests.
Johnston also asked Carbert about a conversation Carbert had with a friend in late 2021 in which he said, "If they think they are coming for my kids they better be prepared because they will likely be leaving in a body bag."
"Did you say that to him?" Johnston queried.
"Yeah, I said that. I mean I've said some colourful things. There's no doubt about it," he replied. "I've also said if they came to put the vaccine in me and my kid that they weren't doing it."
Court has heard Olienick considered the blockade the fight of a lifetime against a government bent on ending individual freedoms.
--
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 23, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7028745.1725663146!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Pakistani citizen arrested in Canada, charged with plotting terrorist attack in New York
A Pakistani citizen who resided in Canada has been charged with plotting a terrorist attack at a Jewish centre in New York City.
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick dies after collapsing outside Winnipeg courthouse
The Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has died after collapsing outside of the Manitoba courthouse Friday afternoon, according to multiple sources.
Woman who was denied a liver transplant, after review highlighted alcohol use, has died
Questions are being raised about the case of a 36-year-old Ontario woman who died of liver failure after she was rejected for a life-saving liver transplant after a medical review highlighted her prior alcohol use.
Montreal man given $664 fine for tying dog to parking meter while grabbing a croissant
A Montreal man who tied his dog to a parking meter while he entered a bakery is now facing a hefty fine for breaking a law he had no idea existed.
Canada-wide warrant issued for woman in fatal Toronto shooting
A 36-year-old woman is wanted for first-degree murder following a shooting near an after-hours club in Toronto earlier this month.
Molson Coors ends diversity, equity and inclusion policies, moves to 'broader view'
Brewing company Molson Coors says it is dropping its diversity, equity and inclusion policies and taking a 'broader view' in which all employees know they are welcome.
Selena Gomez is a billionaire
Selena Gomez can now add becoming a billionaire to her long list of achievements.
Teen girl charged with attempted murder after student set on fire at Saskatoon high school
A 14-year-old girl faces an attempted murder charge after a 15-year-old girl was doused in a flammable substance and set on fire at a Saskatoon high school Thursday.
Victim of Vancouver stranger attacks had surgery to reattach severed hand: police
The surviving victim of a pair of stranger attacks in downtown Vancouver on Wednesday has undergone surgery to reattach his hand after it was severed in the assault, according to police.