A Vancouver Island man is facing several charges following a single-vehicle rollover accident in Vernon Thursday.
Police were called after a 1994 green Eagle Talon was spotted being driven in what some witnesses told police was a reckless manner in the vicinity of 24th Avenue and 43rd Street at around 7 p.m.
“One person saw the vehicle heading north in a weaving pattern on 43rd Street, then heard brakes and saw the car hit the curb and flip onto its roof,” said Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk.
The driver was seen exiting the vehicle by two people and he took off toward Vernon Creek.
He was apprehended by witnesses and held until RCMP arrived.
A box of .22-calibre bullets were thrown from the vehicle, but Molendyk said they were of no concern to police in this matter.
“There were no firearms found in the vehicle and it’s not an offence to have bullets in a vehicle,” he said. “Individuals do carry them. We don’t know the background of this individual, he could be a gun owner, he could be a target shooter.”
The accident remains under investigation.
The driver, a 25-year-old man from Courtenay, was arrested for impaired operation of a motor vehicle, driving with a blood-alcohol level greater than .08, dangerous driving and failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
He is expected to appear in Vernon Provincial Court Aug. 1.
