Jury trial cancelled, plea deal in works for Chilliwack man who shot at police during 10-hour standoff before house fire
Daniel Hackl's attempted murder case was set for four-week jury trial in January, now set for disposition in three weeks
A four-week jury trial in the new year looks to be cancelled as the attempted murder case connected to a 10-hour standoff where Daniel Hackl allegedly shot at police followed by his house being burned to the ground is now set for disposition on Jan. 12, 2026.
The term "disposition" in the criminal justice system refers to the definition regarding a settlement of some kind, presumably a plea agreement between Hackl's lawyers and Crown counsel.
The case dates back to Victoria Day 2023 (May 22) when RCMP responded to a report of an armed and distraught man holed up in a house. Hackl had dozens of firearms, included some 3D printed ones, where he lived at the corner of Queen Street and Knight Road.
The standoff lasted more than five hours when the situation escalated with gunshots at police officers. Further attempts to negotiate then failed and the situation ended when the house went up in flames and Hackl was arrested. Neither the RCMP nor the fire department explained the cause of the fire, including whether it was intentionally set by officers, something a neighbour claimed at the time.
The fire destroyed the home and most of the possible evidence inside.
The now 32-year-old Hackl was charged with attempted murder with a firearm and discharging a firearm with intent to wound/disfigure. There was a report that a piece of police protective equipment was hit with a bullet, which could explain an attempted murder charge.
The case was beset by delays, which was a problem because of the "Jordan" timeline regarding trial within a reasonable time. Most of the delays were caused by Hackl himself, which doesn't get counted toward Jordan. The Jordan timeline is the Supreme Court of Canada putting hard numbers to clarify the vagary of section 11(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that affords an any person tried with an offence the right to trial within a “reasonable” time. This means cases need to be wrapped up from charge approval to resolution in 30 months for all Supreme Courts, 18 months in provincial.
Hackl was charged in June 2023, which means January 2026 would be pushing up against 30 months. At his initial court appearances in 2023 he was uncooperative. At one appearance he refused to give his name to provincial court Judge Kristen Mundstock. On later dates he refused to come out of his cell at Surrey Pretrial. More than 100 days later at a hearing in September 2023 his bail was denied as he sat silently in the prisoner’s box.
When he last appeared in person in May 2025, Hackl wore a standard orange jumpsuit. He is caucasian, was clean shaven with a bald and/or shaved head. He has been remanded since his arrest and detention in the early hours of May 23, 2023, which means he has served 30 months at Surrey Pretrial for which he will be credited for approximately four years time served by the time the case is over, which will likely amount to as much or more time than any sentence he would receive.
Hackl remains in custody and is due in court for disposition on Jan. 12, 2026.
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Paul J. Henderson
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