Teen charged in hit-and-run death of St. Thomas More student was previously arrested for driving without licence
A teenage boy charged in the recent hit-and-run death of a Hamilton high school student was previously arrested for driving without a licence.
The 15-year-old, who can't be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pleaded guilty on March 29 to driving with no licence on a local residential street last spring - about eight months before the crash that left another teen dead.
His plea to the provincial offence resulted in a $300 fine.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Hamilton police stopped the teenager on May 20, 2022 after receiving two calls about a black Dodge Charger with racing stripes driving carelessly in a Mountain neighbourhood.
One call to police reported the car going approximately 100 kilometres an hour" on Clifton Downs Road, assistant Crown attorney Gordon Akilie said. Another call reported the same vehicle doing doughnuts" on nearby streets.
When police stopped the Charger and identified the teen, he told officers he'd just bought the car from a man in Mississauga and had plans to later sell it, according to the agreed statement of facts.
He was just driving it around," Akilie said.
In presenting the Crown and defence's joint submission for a $300 fine, Akilie noted the teen acknowledges clearly not having a licence when he drove that vehicle, which he had in his possession for a short period of time." Akilie added the teen also had no criminal record prior to the incident.
Justice Bruce Pugsley accepted the submission and ordered the fine to be paid within 12 months.
The teenager still faces two criminal charges - dangerous operation causing death and failure to remain - in connection to a fatal hit-and-run at Upper Paradise and Stone Church roads Jan. 11.
Hamilton police have alleged he was behind the wheel of the 2008 Dodge Caliber that struck and killed another 15-year-old, Yaqoub Saeed. Both the victim and accused attended St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School, police previously said. Investigators didn't consider the crash to be targeted.
Saeed was walking home from school before the afternoon collision. The 15-year-old was remembered by family and friends as a smart, kind and happy-go-lucky kid brimming with potential. His funeral service was attended by thousands.
Shirwa Geele - one of Saeed's six brothers - was taken aback Thursday when informed the teen charged in his sibling's death was arrested for a driving-related offence eight months earlier.
It's shocking to hear that," Geele said of the plea.
Sebastian Bron is a reporter at The Spectator. sbron@thespec.com