Calgary Man Charged in Protester SUV Attack

0:00It's April 10th. Welcome in. This is Calgary News Today, where local news meets AI. I'm Cori with the story. A 49-year-old Calgary man, named Payman Esmaile, now faces an assault with a weapon charge after driving his SUV into a protester outside A. Southeast Calgary Place of Worship. Police say he steered right toward the group, hitting one person with minor injuries. This happened right after people from inside the building came out and started verbally threatening the protesters gathered nearby. The protest itself connected to recent geopolitical events, starring of strong feelings in the community over political and human rights issues. Police stress they stay neutral on those debates, but step in when threats or violence hit the streets. Now the Haycrime Prevention Team is running the show, given the political and religious angles mixed in. They pulled witness statements and CCTV footage to build the case. Esmaile set for court on May 22nd and investigators keep digging to see if hay played a role, keeping an eye on community tensions as they go.