DEARBORN — Local attorneys and community leaders are pushing for a re-trial for Hassan Ibrahim Bazzi, a man who they believe suffers from a mental illness, but was arrested and convicted of assault with intent to murder in 2012 ,and now faces a 9 to 20-year-sentence in prison.

Bazzi, now 40, was operating a vehicle on Schaefer Rd. in Dearborn in December 2011 when he allegedly tried to strike a police officer with his vehicle before crashing it near the ACCESS building. On foot, Bazzi then attempted to escape before he was captured by Dearborn Police. Witnesses on the scene claimed that officers fired five shots at Bazzi before he was captured.

Two attorneys had originally taken on Bazzi’s case, including Dearborn Attorney Majed Moughni. The lawyers attempted to convince prosecutors that Bazzi had been suffering from schizophrenia and that he was not taking his medication, which may have caused him to have an irrational reaction when he was confronted by police.

But at his pre-trial, Judge Mark Somers determined that there was enough evidence for his case to move forward to the Wayne County Circuit court based on eight charges, which included assault with intent to do great bodily harm, resisting or obstructing an officer and two counts of fleeing and eluding.

Bazzi.

During the course of his trial, Bazzi was not given an opportunity to plead insanity. When a Dearborn Police officer claimed that Bazzi tried to kill him during the incident, it was more than enough to convince the jury at the Wayne County Circuit court that he was guilty on the assault with intent to murder charge. He was also found guilty on four other charges. Judge Craig Strong of the circuit court gave him a sentence of nine to 20 years in prison on October 29, 2012.

During the course of his trial, he spent 318 days at the Wayne County Jail before he was handed over to the Michigan Department of Corrections on October 30, 2012.

Now, the law office of Cyril C. Hall, P.C. has filed a motion at the Wayne County Circuit Court for a new trial and evidentiary hearing. The law office will attempt to prove that Bazzi was denied the proper defense for someone of his mental state, and his previous attorneys failure to advance that defense. They are also aiming to tackle some inconsistencies made by the police officer during his testimony on trial.

“I honestly don’t believe a man with a mental disability of this nature should be in the position he’s in. He does not have an understanding of the laws because he is a diagnosed schizophrenic,” said Amir Makled, a practicing lawyer at the Law Office of Cyril C. Hall, P.C.  

The law office believes that Bazzi had no valid reason to make an attempt to kill a police officer. He had no criminal history and was originally being stopped for failing to yield near a fire truck. They speculate the sirens of the fire truck caused him to panic, and when police made an attempt to pull him over, he became delusional and paranoid.

“Generally when you have someone trying to get away from the police, there has to be a reason for it…that’s why we are looking at mental insanity claims. If I don’t have a reason to run from the police, you can’t suggest that it was goal directed. You have to look at other alternatives as to what caused him to do this. We believe all of these actions are a product of a long standing mental illness,” Makled added. 

At the upcoming hearing, the attorneys would like to present expert testimony from a physician as well as get  input from other lawyers regarding the standard practice of how an attorney with a client of such a mental illness would’ve been presented in court.  The attorneys will need to make a point that Bazzi’s previous representation fell beneath that standard as a result of the failure to represent a defense of insanity.

“He wasn’t afforded a viable defense. We have a difficult burden to establish–that he was ineffectively represented, but we are willing to accept that challenge,” Attorney Cyril C. Hall said. 

The Arab American News made attempts to reach out to Bazzi’s family, and his brother spoke with us regarding  their unfortunate situation.  He says the family has stood by his brother’s side throughout the whole ordeal, but its been a difficult burden for them. Additionally, our sources say that Bazzi is not comprehending the severity of his sentence and has been in a state of confusion while in prison.

The law office, along with board members at the Islamic Institute of Knowledge, located on Schaefer Rd. in Dearborn, are making attempts to alert the community about Bazzi’s alleged injustice. They hope to gather enough support so that the court will consider a re-trial with a mental insanity defense. The upcoming hearing is currently scheduled at the Wayne County Circuit Court on May 29 in front of Judge Strong. The date is subject to change.