Failing to stop for police twice came at a high cost for one young Delta driver.
The 20-year-old man had his vehicle impounded, his licence suspended and seized and was handed 15 violation tickets.
According to police, the young man fled from RCMP Deas Island Traffic officers after they attempted to stop his dark-coloured Lexus for a possible mechanical violation on Nov. 17.
Initially, the driver of the Lexus appeared to be stopping but police said he then took off in a “highly dangerous manner.” Mounties, who had gotten the number of the licence plate, did not choose to pursue the car at the time in the interest of public safety.
When police went to write up their report, they discovered a vehicle with the similar description but with a different licence plate, had also fled from police at the same location a few days earlier.
Upon further investigation, police discovered both licence plates were registered to the same owner and vehicle identification number (VIN). RCMP officers said after the first incident, the young owner of the car applied to ICBC for and got new plates.
“On both occasions, police officers did not chase this individual. We didn’t want to put the public at risk, so we exercised discretion,” Sgt. Lorne Lecker with the Deas Island Traffic Services said in a statement.
“But that didn’t mean he got away – we have other ways to ensure these type of drivers will face consequences.”
On Nov. 18, police officers went to the home of the young driver, impounded his car and gave him 15 violation tickets at a cost of almost $2,500 plus associated points. Both failing to stop and fleeing from police falls into the category of street racing, which results in a 15-day drivers licence suspension, the driver’s licence seized and driving prohibitions.
Police said if the young driver, who had a valid licence and insurance, had stopped as required, he would have been issued a $109 ticket.