A well-known Chilliwack farmer was involved in a tractor crash involving a police cruiser on Highway 1 in Surrey on Saturday.
Prior to the police incident, Bill Shoker posted several public videos to his Facebook page from the driver’s seat of a green John Deere tractor. He narrated where he was on the highway, and where he was heading, before turning the camera to show his face.
Shoker said his name, his business name (Shoker Farms Ltd. in Chilliwack) and also explained the reason for the stunt, saying it was a protest against an educational resource called SOGI 123.
The tractor was one of several vehicles involved in a convoy that began in Chilliwack and was travelling into Vancouver.
However, Shoker’s tractor collided with a police cruiser as a traffic stop was being attempted at a highway exit in Surrey. The tractor flipped over, and officers immediately exited their own vehicles and apprehended the driver.
The crash and arrest were recorded by someone in a vehicle that had pulled off the busy highway to make way for the police. Video has also been shared on social media channels of a slow police chase along the highway.
Shoker’s wife confirmed to media on Sunday that he was the driver of the tractor. Shoker was taken to hospital and is facing charges, according to a police statement over the weekend
Shoker is a member of the BC Strawberry Growers Association, and the farm also grows other produce out of Chilliwack, headquartered on Bailey Road. They do direct farm sales, commercial sales and are involved in many community events and farm markets.
Many people had taken to his Facebook page to express their anger with his actions, but his page has since been removed from public viewing.
Lottie Lawrence Moody had asked him under one video, “how does driving dangerously, in a tractor, on a public highway, endangering the lives of other people and their children in any way ‘Protect Our Children?’”
Others said they wouldn’t support his business following the dangerous actions taken on the highway, while others expressed their support for SOGI 123.
READ MORE: Police chase tractor down Highway 1 in Surrey; ends in crash