Calgary councillor facing criminal charge in alleged road rage incident referred to alternative measures

A Calgary city councillor facing a criminal charge in connection with an alleged road rage incident has had his case sent to an alternative measures program.

Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra was charged with mischief under $5,000 stemming from an alleged road rage incident in April 2022, when he allegedly kicked a car near a crosswalk.

On Wednesday, defence lawyer Pawel Milczarek appeared in court requesting an adjournment to give his client time to complete the program. 

Although a probation officer will decide what conditions are appropriate, typically people referred to the program complete community service, pay restitution and offer a written apology.

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This means there will be no courtroom admission of any wrongdoing on Carra's part. 

If Carra completes the program, his charge will be withdrawn in September.

Milczarek said he had no comment at this time.

Damage to a vehicle

Ten days after the April 2, 2022 incident, Carra released a statement on Twitter.

He said a driver ran a stop sign while he was in a crosswalk and nearly hit his dog. According to Carra, the driver and his passenger got out of the car and began yelling. 

At the time, Calgary police confirmed it responded to reports of a road rage incident and that a vehicle had been damaged in Calgary's Bridgeland neighbourhood. 

In order to avoid a conflict given Carra's role on the police commission, Edmonton police led the investigation and laid charges eight months later. 

Carra stepped away from his role on the Calgary Police Commission in April 2022 and formally resigned in November.