A cab driver accused of deliberately running over and killing a longboarder on King St. E. in 2012 has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Just before noon on Friday, the third day of deliberations, a jury found Adib Ibrahim not guilty of second-degree murder but guilty of the lesser included charge of manslaughter.

Ibrahim slumped in his chair after the jury was excused. His family and friends shook their heads as they left the courtroom.

The Crown had argued during the trial that Ibrahim knew longboarder Ralph Bissonnette, 28, was beside his taxi on the passenger side, and that the 6-foot-4 man was clearly visible through the windshield. The moment of the collision was captured in a surveillance video from a nearby building.

“In that moment, (Ibrahim) made a bad decision,” Crown prosecutor Hank Goody said in his closing address to the jury. “He made a wrong decision. He made a fatally tragic decision. He deliberately veered his car sharply right into Mr. Bissonnette and ran him over.”

The jury heard that Bissonnette died from crushing injuries to his head at the scene on May 14, 2012.

Bissonnette, who was born in Coaticook, Que., worked in kitchens around the world before settling in Toronto and working at local restaurants, including Rosewater Supper Club.

Testifying in his defence, Ibrahim said he did not see Bissonnette and struck him accidentally while making a lane change in preparation for turning right. The long-time cab driver said he only noticed something was wrong when he heard the cracking of the longboard being run over. He said he froze and was unable to brake immediately.

Ibrahim’s lawyer Peter Thorning said that his client is devastated by the verdict and expects to appeal.

He suggested the jury arrived at a verdict of manslaughter because they found Ibrahim was driving dangerously. He does not believe that the jury concluded Ibrahim was provoked by any actions of Bissonnette or that Ibrahim intended any harm to come to Bissonnette.

“I’ve always thought this was a terrible accident,” Thorning said. “(Ibrahim) deeply regrets what happened that day. He is very upset by it.”

Det. Sgt. Terry Browne said that the Bissonnette family has struggled with the lack of answers around the circumstances of Bissonnette’s death. He told reporters that he had spoken with Bissonnette’s mother and that she is pleased with the verdict.

Goody had argued that Ibrahim might have been motivated by something that happened in the minutes before the collision, and that Bissonnette might have been upset with the driver of the taxi because of the way he was driving.

A TTC driver testified he heard two raised male voices coming from their direction before the collision, Goody said. Another witness said he heard someone shout, “What are you doing?”

Witnesses testified they saw Bissonnette strike the hood of the car with his hand before the collision. A palm smear was found on the hood of the car that was forensically linked to Bissonnette, the jury heard.

Thorning told the jury the collision was an accident.

Ibrahim had moved from the curb lane into the passing lane to avoid a car turning right, Thorning said. He was moving back into the curb lane when he clipped Bissonnette’s board, snapping it in two, Thorning said.

Thorning argued that, with part of the board stuck under the taxi, Ibrahim temporarily lost control of the steering when the car ran over Bissonnette.

Ibrahim called 911 after getting out of the car and remained at the scene. He acted as an innocent person would, Thorning said.

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This was not dangerous driving, this was momentary inattention, he told the jury.

A friend of Ibrahim’s told the Star after the incident that Ibrahim was “a very careful driver” who didn’t fly into rages. “He’s a person who tries to help,” Elias Abrahim said.

Ibrahim remains on bail pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for Feb. 8.