The man accused of a theft and double stabbing at Vancouver’s Olympic Village on Boxing Day has pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
Sheldon Ilbegi-Asli was charged with theft under $5,000 and two counts of assault with a weapon.
Ilbegi-Asli refused to comment outside B.C. Provincial Court in Vancouver on Monday.
The 21-year-old was accused of using pepper spray on someone he’d connected with through Facebook Marketplace about buying a computer graphics card, then stabbing two bystanders who chased him down.
“When I tried to grab him he pushed me with his knife,” victim Meraj Ahmed told Global News in December.
“It cut my hand, yeah my tendon was cut.”
Ahmed, a DoorDash worker, was stabbed in the hand while a second delivery worker took a knife to his shoulder.
“People should be safe from these kinds of people,” Ahmed said.
“I don’t want to see that repeat yeah.”
Ilbegi-Asli’s lawyer has asked the court to order a psychiatric assessment to address addiction and mental health diagnoses and treatment.
Ahmed said he hopes his attacker will get the help he needs.
“If the courts think that he needs medical treatment then he should get that space and time,” he said.
In the meantime, Ahmed said he hasn’t been able to return to work delivering food, because he still can’t lift or grab anything with his left hand.
He said he bought a car in January to help with his recovery but was recently hit by another driver and is dealing with an ICBC claim.
Ahmed, who did not have medical insurance coverage prior to the stabbing as a newcomer to Canada, is also still facing a bill of nearly $2,000 for his surgery and emergency fees at the hospital.
“It’s a very crisis moment for me … because I could not work for almost three months so it was tough for me to pay the bill,” he said.
He said he is hoping victim services will come through with compensation and restitution so he can pay off his medical debt before it goes to a collection agency.
Ilbegi-Asli is due back in court on July 17 for a pre-sentencing report.
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