A B.C. Supreme Court trial began Tuesday for a Prince George man accused of wearing a brass knuckle while throwing sucker punches during a confrontation at a high school post-graduation party outside of Prince George.
Bryce Raymond Cote, 22, faces 11 charges from an alleged June 9, 2013 incident at Kwitzil Lake, more commonly known as Gravel Pit Lake, just off Highway 16 about 42 kilometres west of Prince George.
In separate testimony, Cote's two alleged victims, Jesse O'Connell and Matthew Fillion, said they were part of a group of five who had shown up at the party during the early morning hours but within a short time decided to leave.
O'Connell said he didn't know anyone there and the group decided to find something else to do while Fillion said the "good vibe" he noticed initially began to subside as a some of the other partiers began to leave and a "rougher crowd" began to show up.
O'Connell said they were walking back to the two vehicles they had shown up in - a Pontiac Sunfire and a Ford Mustang - when he felt something hit him in the back of his head and he stumbled forward ahead of Fillion.
Fillion said he turned around and saw "someone jumping around, yelling, looking for a fight" and noticed something on his hand but wasn't sure what it was.
"At that point, I know that (I said) 'what do you think you're doing? You don't hit someone from behind like that,'" Fillion said.
Unsure if the attacker would continue to pursue them, Fillion said he he turned to drop the items he had been carrying - a jacket, keys and wallet - with the intention of confronting Cote, but before he could turn back around his jaw was struck.
Fillion said he did not actually see Cote hit him but as he got his bearings he noticed "shiny chrome" on the accused's hand. Cote backed away, Fillion said, but was still challenging him to a fight.
"He was saying 'c'mon, c'mon, let's go,'" Fillion said.
Fillion said he stepped towards Cote who, in turn, lifted his shirt to show the hilt of a knife. Fillion concluded it was not worth it and decided to leave, the court heard. O'Connell, meanwhile, had retreated to the cars to deal with the bleeding to the back of his head.
As they were leaving, Cote was repeatedly saying something to the effect of "remember my name, Bryce Cote."
In an opening statement, Crown prosecutor Marie-Louise Ahrens said the group had arrived in a Pontiac Sunbird and a Ford Mustang between 1:30 and 2 a.m. and Cote and one of the other partiers took an interest in the Mustang because it had a five litre engine and asked the owner to lift the hood so they could take a look.
"This exchange was pleasant and unremarkable," Ahrens said.
Both O'Connell and Fillion said they had not been drinking while O'Connell said there was an unopened 26 ounce bottle of flavoured whisky in one of the cars.
O'Connell testified that as they were leaving he heard someone say the Sunfire looked like the one his mother owned but was not sure if Cote made the remark. It was admitted at the trial's outset that Cote's mother owned a Sunfire at the time.
O'Connell said he suffered a half-inch gash to the back of his head and Fillion said he's been left with a wide and apparent scar to the side of his face. Fillion went to the hospital later the same day to get stitches, the court also heard.
O'Connell and Fillion both said they and two others from the group decided to go to police together a few days later to make a complaint although defence lawyer Keith Aartsen noted O'Connell's statement to police was dated a day after the incident allegedly happened.
"I thought it was a lot later than it was," O'Connell replied.
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