EDMONTON—The man
facing a slew of charges including attempted murder in connection with
an attack against a police officer and four pedestrians last fall made a
brief appearance in court Friday morning, where he elected to be tried
by judge and jury.
In addition to five counts of attempted
murder, Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, 31, is facing charges of dangerous
driving, criminal flight causing bodily harm and possession of a weapon
for a dangerous purpose.
Sharif also waived his
right to a preliminary inquiry. A pretrial conference is scheduled for
Feb. 11 and the eight-week trial is tentatively scheduled to start in
October 2019.
Appearing by CCTV from the maximum security unit at
the Edmonton Remand Centre, Sharif wore an orange jumpsuit and
communicated through a Somali translator.
When asked if he had any questions, he replied, “Maya” or “No.”
The
charges stem from a series of incidents that started late on the night
of Sept. 30, 2017, and continued into the early morning.