'I'm worth millions': Vancouver man charged with assault in violent strata dispute

Vancouver -

A Vancouver man is facing charges of assault and uttering threats in the latest chapter of an ongoing strata dispute.

CTV News has obtained surveillance video and audio of the clash, in which a masked man with gloves and dressed all in black is seen carrying a hammer, then dropping it before shoving and punching two men in an underground parkade in Yaletown.

“It happened really fast,” said Jonathan Ricci, who was the main target of the assault.

He started recording audio when another resident, Reid Myroniuk, showed up at a gathering of strata members to discuss a spate of vandalism to bicycles and an electric charging station. Myroniuk can be heard accusing Ricci of banging on his door aggressively, with another strata member explaining he had simply knocked to discuss the vandalism.

"I'm worth millions of dollars, do you think I'm going to cut your f---ing cords when I'm gonna cut your f---ing neck?" Myroniuk can be heard responding.

The three men scuffled for several minutes and Myroniuk can be heard screaming at Ricci in a profanity-laced tirade as the third man tries to calm him down.

“I'm gonna get you, I’m gonna get you killed and you know what? You’re not going to know when the hit’s going to happen,” he says.

Ricci was rattled by the experience and is worried Myroniuk, a former strata council member with keys to various parts of the complex, could still access his penthouse suite in search of retaliation, despite bail conditions prohibiting contact.

"I don't feel safe in my home and that is something I have great difficulty dealing with,” said Ricci, who has considered sleeping in shifts with his partners and now keeps a gardening machete nearby. “Over the past few nights it's been very difficult to sleep … it's terrifying."

Vancouver police confirmed Myroniuk has been charged and court records show the man, in his 60s, is facing two counts of assault and one count of uttering threats.

CTV News tried contacting Myroniuk but he has not responded.

LONG-SIMMERING STRATA DISPUTE

Ricci says friction began shortly after he and his family moved into the upscale building in Yaletown last year when they observed damage to the tiles covering the roof, which is also his penthouse suite’s patio. He says despite water damage to his suite strata wouldn’t approve repairs and he alleges Myroniuk, who was a strata member at the time, was increasingly hostile.

"He threatened us several times via email and the previous council did nothing because ‘oh, I've known this guy for 20 years, that's just Reid,’” said Ricci. “Nobody should say 'I eat little boys like you for breakfast,' nobody should call my husband an effing pikey."

He thinks his story should be a cautionary tale for strata councils to recognize red flags and act on them before matters escalate.

Myroniuk, who does not have any other entries in B.C.’s online court registry aside from the charges in relation to this case, is scheduled to make another court apperance next week.