A Calgary judge has sentenced a man to 20 months in prison for a road-rage shooting, despite the fact that he was brutally beaten by his victims after firing at them. Justice Greg Stirling of the Calgary Court of Justice rejected a conditional sentence order sought by defence counsel Jim Lutz for Ethan El-Khatib, ruling that the seriousness of the gun-related crime warranted a custodial sentence.
Incident Details
According to court documents, on September 27, 2023, El-Khatib brandished a loaded restricted handgun at another vehicle during a road-rage altercation near the Calgary International Airport. After exchanging profanities, he fled the scene but became stuck in construction traffic, allowing the other motorist, Rayad Hammidi, to catch up. El-Khatib then fired shots at Hammidi's car and, when Hammidi approached, shot him once in the head, grazing his forehead.
Hammidi and his passengers pulled El-Khatib from his vehicle and subjected him to a prolonged beating. Lutz described the assault as savage, noting that the three individuals not only disarmed his client but also beat him severely. Videos of the incident, which were reviewed by the court, showed El-Khatib's head being repeatedly pulled back and smashed into the concrete sidewalk.
Sentencing Considerations
Despite the vigilante justice inflicted on El-Khatib, Stirling emphasized the need to deter gun-related crimes with stiff sentences. He cited several aggravating factors: the handgun was loaded and readily accessible, it had an overcapacity magazine containing 20 bullets, the serial number was defaced, the weapon was brandished in a road-rage context, and the offence occurred on a public roadway at the Calgary Airport in the middle of the afternoon, endangering many members of the public.
Stirling reduced what would have been a harsher term by four months to account for the beating El-Khatib endured. The Crown prosecutor, Margot Engley, had dropped a more serious charge of attempted murder, acknowledging that El-Khatib may have been acting in self-defence when he shot Hammidi.
Court Outcome
El-Khatib pleaded guilty to possession of a loaded restricted handgun. Defence counsel had proposed a conditional sentence to be served in the community, but Stirling ruled that the circumstances called for time behind bars. The 20-month jail sentence reflects both the severity of the crime and the unusual circumstances of the victim's retaliation.
