Gym assault in Coquitlam: two men convicted after weight bench dispute

Ali Alabed and Sa'Ad Munshed were convicted of assault causing bodily harm after beating a man at a Coquitlam recreation centre. The victim suffered cracked bones, a concussion, and missed a month of work.

Two men convicted of assault after weight bench row at Coquitlam gym

Ca.news.yahoo.com reports that Ali Alabed and Sa'Ad Munshed, immigrants from Syria and Iraq respectively, have been convicted of assault causing bodily harm following a violent altercation at the Poirier Recreation Centre in Coquitlam, British Columbia.

The confrontation began on Feb. 27, 2024, when Zhe Ming Bryan Wong, a 32-year-old accountant and digital marketer, moved a weight bench that Munshed considered his own. Wong had asked an elderly man nearby whether the bench was free, received a nod, and wheeled it to the cable machine area of the gym.

Munshed, wearing pajama bottoms and headphones, approached Wong "in a strident manner," according to a May 27 decision written by Judge Gregory J. Brown of B.C.'s Provincial Court. "Mr. Wong then heard someone say, 'Who the f–k took my bench?' and he realized that person was yelling at him," Brown noted after reviewing surveillance footage.

A confrontation ensued near the bench. Munshed testified that Wong pushed him back three or four steps and told him, "you think you are number one guy in the gym." Wong, for his part, said he feared for his safety but did not want to be bullied. He denied raising his middle finger at Munshed, though a still image from the blurry surveillance video appeared to show otherwise.

Other men aligned with Munshed positioned themselves around Wong during the upstairs exchange. Munshed's brother, present during part of the incident, attempted to act as a peacekeeper, though the judge noted both Munshed and his brother minimized what Brown described as a "five-on-one situation" — and that the video showed Munshed initiating the upstairs confrontation.

After both men separately reported the incident to reception staff, they moved back toward the stairway. It was at this point, Brown observed, that Munshed and Alabed "could have easily extricated themselves." Instead, the two men proceeded to attack Wong.

As Wong approached the stairs and pushed Munshed toward a wall, Alabed — who has boxing experience — stepped in. Wong pushed back and kicked Alabed several times, though the judge noted the kicks "do not appear to strike Mr. Alabed with great force." Alabed then punched Wong in the face three times, "his arm extends fully back for each punch." By the third blow, Wong had turned away with his head facing downward.

Munshed joined the attack, "punching and shoving" Wong. "From this point forward, it is a two-on-one scenario for some time," Brown wrote. Both men pushed and dragged Wong through a hallway toward the locker area, delivering punches to his head and body. Wong's tank top was completely torn off by the end of the altercation. He extended his arms defensively, but "his hands were more open than closed," the judge said.

Wong was taken to hospital. He had cracked bones around his eyes, a concussion, and his left eye had to be stitched shut for two weeks. He sustained bruising across other parts of his body and missed a month of work. "I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Wong suffered bodily harm," Brown stated.

The judge rejected the self-defence argument put forward by both accused. "It was ultimately a violent two-on-one response to some moderate pushes and kicks," Brown wrote. "I do not find the overall altercation to be a consensual fight; after some initial jostling, it evolved to an attack on Mr. Wong."

Alabed, 22, came to Canada from Syria four years ago. Munshed, 29, is a permanent resident born in Iraq who immigrated at age 14 and currently works as a roofer. The three men involved — Wong, Alabed, and Munshed — did not know one another prior to the incident.

Brown acknowledged that race may have been a factor, noting that each side alleged the other made racial slurs during the altercation. "More significantly, the events upstairs contributed to the ongoing animosity downstairs," he wrote. "Mr. Munshed was upset Mr. Wong took his bench and some sort of machoism took over from there."

Source: National Post Crime