A jury has declared a store clerk not guilty of aggravated assault against a robber in Peterborough, Ont., from more than two years ago.
After a day of discussions, the Superior Court jury on Wednesday afternoon announced their unanimous decision for 24-year-old Tejeshwar Kalia, who was an international student from India during the incident on January 5, 2024.
Footage shown during the weeklong trial revealed that around 2:30 a. m., a masked individual entered a downtown Circle K store, armed with what turned out to be a baseball bat wrapped in plastic, along with a large knife on his hip. He took off the bag, brandished the bat, and approached Kalia.
A struggle broke out as another customer attempted to help.
The video continued as the altercation moved outside the store where Kalia managed to take control of the bat. The masked man seemed to be leaving but Kalia struck him with the bat and then hit him again after he fell while the customer tried to intervene. Kalia subsequently called 911.
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Police ended up charging both parties involved. Chief Stuart Betts defended the charge made against Kalia amidst some public criticism.
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For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. “This is not about politics – politics have nothing to do with the facts. This is not about race – as some have suggested,” he stated. “This is not about the perception that criminals go free while victims of crime are penalized – this is about the law.” During the trial, jurors learned that Kalia suffered a concussion during the fight. More on Crime More videos The court also heard that the robber was identified as 37-year-old Jonathan Handel, who sustained serious head injuries. He was arrested shortly after and later pleaded guilty to robbery with violence later that year, receiving an 18-month prison sentence. The focus of the trial was whether Kalia went beyond reasonable self-defense. His lawyer, David O’Neill, emphasized awareness of the knife, arguing his client couldn’t calmly assess danger within those few chaotic seconds while being injured from their struggle. After hearing the verdict, O’Neill mentioned that this was an experience Kalia “had never asked for or wanted” but expressed that his client was “extremely happy” with how things turned out. “He always maintained that he acted in self-defense; he responded to threats made against him,” O’Neill said. “He’s always told me he believed things would turn out well for him and he’s right-it really has worked out well today.” Story continues below Kalia gave a victim impact statement during Handel’s trial in April 2024 and expressed gratitude towards those who supported him through this process. “I would like to thank all of my friends, my lawyer, my good friends on my side,” he said. “And they did well. And I would like to thank the jury. All those 12 jurors. Thanks for reviewing the video and providing fair comments; I appreciate all your efforts.” Kalia shared that now he’s focused on moving past this ordeal which cost him “all his savings” in legal expenses. “I want to move forward with my future-making plans, finding jobs and gaining experience here in Canada while exploring it,” he said. “I felt stuck before due to this situation but now I can look ahead.” & copy 2026 , a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.Source link
