Fight on River Street lands man in federal jail for 27 months
A second man charged in connection to a fistfight on River Street will spend the next two years in federal prison for his role in the melee.
Cayden Cheyne Thomas Blacklaws, 26, appeared by phone in Moose Jaw provincial court on April 21 and pleaded guilty to endangering the lives of two victims via aggravated assault. As part of a joint submission, Blacklaws was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, have to provide a DNA sample, be prohibited from owning a firearm, and must forfeit a knife used in the assault. Since Blacklaws had spent more than two months on remand, he was given credit for that time and will have 27 months left to serve.
The Crown stayed two other charges against him. Police arrested Blacklaws for a fight that occurred on Oct. 16, 2020, on the 0 block of River Street, Crown prosecutor Rob Parker said while reading the facts. Blacklaws and co-accused Tyler Ellis-Thomson and Tyler Chase were in a van with two female friends when three men walked past the vehicle. The passersby exchanged words with the women, which then caused Blacklaws and his friends to exit the vehicle and engage in a physical altercation. After a few minutes, the friends jumped back in and drove away.
Ellis-Thomson has already been sentenced for his role in the fight, while Chase’s charges are still before the court. Two of the passersby realized they had been stabbed, Parker continued. One man had been stabbed in the left armpit and the left flank and spent the night in hospital. Meanwhile, the second man had been stabbed in the left chest, back, and lower rib cage. He needed surgery the next day since the knife pierced his diaphragm. “Medical records obtained by police show one of the stab wounds was extremely close to the apex of his heart and sidewall,” said Parker. “Certainly … the results could have been more serious injuries.”
The 30-month sentence for Blacklaws is similar to one he received in 2015 for a previous assault, added Parker. This is a reasonable sentence, especially since he co-operated with police.
Blacklaws suffers from mental health issues and addiction problems, the latter something with which he’s struggled since he was young, said Legal Aid lawyer Suzanne Jeanson.
His drug use was connected to this situation and past convictions; he had seven months of sobriety while in British Columbia. After he moved back to Moose Jaw to be closer to family, he relapsed again. Going to a federal jail will allow Blacklaws to access addiction programming.
Blacklaws was punched in the nose during the fight in October, resulting in him being stunned briefly, Jeanson remarked. Then he responded by using his bladed weapon.
“You simply can’t bring a knife to a fistfight,” she said, adding Blacklaws did not mean to stab the man in the abdomen.
Judge Daryl Rayner accepted the joint submission, noting Blacklaws pleaded guilty early, acknowledged his role in the fight, and did not pre-meditate the assault ahead of time.