A Victoria man suspected of filming himself careening down the Trans-Canada Highway at speeds reaching 300 kilometres per hour now faces a criminal charge.
Randy George Scott, 25, was charged on Tuesday with a single count of dangerous driving.
Scott is accused of weaving in and out of traffic at high speed on the stretch of highway from McKenzie Avenue past the Millstream interchange on April 6.
A two-minute video shot from a first-person perspective behind the handle bars of a Yamaha R1 motorcycle was posted to YouTube on April 8, went viral and quickly caught the attention of police.
“The is an egregious example of someone who is disregarding all norms of traffic safety. You can hardly put words to it,” said Saanich police spokesperson Sgt. Dean Jantzen. “It’s a very scary piece of video. I’ve watched it several times.”
Police identified Scott early on in the investigation as the suspected driver, but at the time, didn’t have enough evidence to proceed with charges.
Given the initial lack of evidence, Jantzen said, police were only able to issue tickets against the registered owner of the vehicle, Scott’s mother.
Those charges under the Motor Vehicle Act are proceeding independently from the criminal charge laid against Scott, who is a familiar face to police across the region through past contacts, Jantzen noted.
According to court records, Scott has amassed a long list of driving infractions over the past five years. There is currently a warrant out for his arrest.
“We have been looking for him and we haven’t been able to catch up to him yet,” Jantzen said on Wednesday.
Three critical witnesses provided enough evidence to connect Scott to the video, which led to the criminal charge.
Police aren’t sharing any further details on the information provided while the matter is before the courts, Jantzen said.
The motorcycle remains property of the Crown after being seized under the Civil Forfeiture Act.
nnorth@saanichnews.com
-with files from Kyle Slavin
