Judge gives man six months’ jail for fight on River Street

A “regular old fistfight” on River Street that also involved a knife and resulted in two men needing medical attention has landed Tyler Ellis-Thomson in jail for the next few months.

Ellis-Thomson, 25, appeared by video in Moose Jaw provincial court on April 7, where he pleaded guilty to assault. As part of a joint submission between the Crown and defence, he was sentenced to 180 days in jail. However, since he had already spent 50 days in custody, he was credited with 75 days behind bars, resulting in him having 105 days left to serve.

The Crown stayed two other charges against the Moose Javian.

Ellis-Thomson, along with two male friends and two female friends, was sitting in a van on the 0 block of River Street on Oct. 16, 2020 when three individuals walked past the vehicle, Crown prosecutor Rob Parker said while discussing the facts.

The individuals noticed the women and commented about them, which prompted Ellis-Thomson and his co-accused — Tyler Chase and Cayden Blacklaws — to exit the van and engage in an altercation. After several minutes of fighting, the three men jumped back into the van and drove away.

Meanwhile, two of the individuals discovered that they had been stabbed and required medical attention. One man had been stabbed twice, while a second man had been stabbed three times and required surgery to repair his diaphragm.

After police arrested Ellis-Thomson on Feb. 21, 2021, he confirmed that he and his friends had been drinking that evening while Blacklaws had been the one with the knife. Ellis-Thomson also told police that they “got into a regular old fistfight with some guys,” Parker said. After they hopped into the van, Blacklaws showed him a knife with blood on it and said he had stabbed the individuals. Ellis-Thomson then took it from him.

Police have arrested Blacklaws and Chase in connection with the incident; Chase appears in court on April 14, while Blacklaws has a trial on Aug. 10.

Defence lawyer Adam Fritzler confirmed for Judge Brian Hendrickson that Ellis-Thomson has a criminal record and was on a federal release order when the incident occurred. The Moose Javian had completed his Grade 12 while in federal prison and had attempted to remain trouble-free after his release.

“In the circumstances … (he) had no knowledge of the knife; (he) actually tried to discourage people from carrying knives,” added Fritzler.

The judge later accepted the joint submission.