‘You acted like a baby’

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This article was published 06/02/2024 (653 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Forklift operator Tyrone Zackarali didn’t take the news well when he was slapped with a one-day suspension for a safety violation.

Instead, a Manitoba court was told, the longtime Monarch Industries employee threatened to take hostages, arm himself with a gun and kill those who had wronged him.

“The way you behaved was ridiculous,” said provincial court Judge Lawrence Allen, who convicted Zackarali of four counts of uttering threats and sentenced him to one year of supervised probation.

“Any reasonable person would think that the way you behaved was nuts,” Allen said last month. “You took these people who were just trying to do their job… and you acted like a baby.”

Court heard testimony that Zackarali had finished his shift June 2 when he attended a meeting with the company’s human resources officer, a floor supervisor and a union rep and was told he was being suspended one day for a safety violation committed that same day.

Zackarali swore at and berated the two managers who left the room as the union rep tried to calm Zackarali down.

“According to the testimony of (the union rep), the accused said that he would not leave quietly and that he would have to either take him or one of (the managers) hostage,” Allen said, reading from a written decision convicting Zackarali.

At his trial, Zackarali admitted he had sworn at the managers, but he denied having threatened to take anyone hostage.

The human resource officer and supervisor both testified they heard Zackarali yelling: “F—k Monarch. I will kill them,” as he walked out of the building.

A security guard at the company testified Zackarali “was giving the finger to the building, and at one point said that he was going to get a gun and come back and kill everyone in the building,” Allen said.

Zackarali said he didn’t threaten anybody and argued that even if the court concluded he did, the Crown had not proven his comments were meant to be taken seriously.

“In my opinion, given the escalating nature of the profanity and the hard-to-fathom behaviour of the accused, I believe that any reasonable person in these circumstances would find these remarks threatening,” Allen said.

The judge said it was notable Zackarali’s hostage comment was made to his union rep, “someone who is, so to speak, on his side.”

“It is not made with his perceived adversaries present,” Allen said. It is made in what should have been a calmer atmosphere. In this day and age, to threaten to take a hostage in any place, but in particular in a large enterprise where many people work, is a serious matter.”

Law student Tyson Priebe, who represented Zackarali, told court Zackarali had struggled with a drinking problem at the time of the incident and has since “committed (himself) to self improvement.”

The judge said he wasn’t convinced.

“This is a man who when he testified (in December) had a big wide smile on his face when he said these are ‘terrible people’ and was smiling and almost chuckling to himself after relating how he had told them to ‘f—k themselves,’” Allen said. “I question how much reflection has really happened. I think Mr. Zackarali has a way to go yet.”

Zackarali’s sentence includes an order he complete 100 hours of community service work, not show up at Monarch Industries, and complete counselling as recommended, including anger management counselling.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca