WATCH: Even police officers were shocked when they pulled over an alleged impaired driver. The man who chased him down tells Global News just how easily it could’ve ended tragically. Rumina Daya reports.
Burnaby RCMP are thanking a Good Samaritan for helping them track down a driver who allegedly crashed his vehicle with a four-year-old girl in the back seat.
On Friday, a man allegedly crashed into a barrier at Production Way and Lougheed Highway in Burnaby. Witnesses say he was slumped over the steering wheel. The driver drove off, and Kevin Lukezic followed him.
“By the time we got to Broadway, he was doing about 140 (km/h),” Lukezic told Global News. “He ran about three red lights. He was weaving into oncoming traffic.”
Lukezic stayed on the tail of the suspicious driver for more than 15 minutes, giving police a play-by-play of the suspect’s movements.
Burnaby RCMP found the suspect near Como Lake Ave. and Mariner Way in Coquitlam. The SUV was found idle and damaged in the middle of traffic about eight kilometres from where the ordeal began in Burnaby.
Lukezic says the driver was “passed out at the wheel.”
WATCH: Kevin Lukezic talks to BC1 about how he helped RCMP find an alleged drunk driver
The suspect was treated for minor injuries at the scene. RCMP say a four-year-old girl, believed to the driver’s daughter, was in the vehicle as well.
“When I saw that, my heart sunk,” said Lukezic. “An innocent girl in the back seat of this vehicle.”
The suspect was released on a promise to appear in court. No charges have been laid, but RCMP say an investigation is underway and they are looking at charges of impaired driving.
Police are grateful for everything Lukezic did to help, tracking the driver and giving police the car’s licence plate number and an accurate description of the vehicle.
“The person did what he was supposed to do–contacted the police and he didn’t become personally involved,” said Burnaby RCMP Staff Sgt. Maj. John Buis.
“We’re really appreciative of that person contacting us,” said Buis. “As it turned out, nobody was injured, but it could have been much worse if this driver had not been found that quickly.”
Lukezic appreciates the praise, but said he was just “doing what a normal person would do.”
-with files from Negar Mojtahedi and Rumina Daya
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