A Burnaby man in his 30s is facing multiple charges – including impaired driving and assaulting a police officer – in connection with a wild ride in west White Rock earlier this month.
Staff Sgt. Kale Pauls said the “extremely dangerous behaviour” unfolded around 5:20 p.m. on May 8, when an off-duty officer spotted an SUV driving nearly double the speed limit near North Bluff Road and Nichol Road.
The vehicle side-swiped another vehicle and continued along Nichol Road, swerving towards other vehicles as it carried on southbound towards Marine Drive, Pauls said.
The off-duty officer called 911, witnessing the SUV swerving at parked and oncoming traffic as it headed west on Marine – ignoring traffic signs – to Bergstrom, before turning back onto North Bluff.
The ride came to a halt when the SUV rear-ended another vehicle on North Bluff near Nichol.
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At that point, the off-duty officer identified themself as police and arrested the driver for dangerous and impaired driving, Pauls said.
He said the assault charge was added to the list when an on-duty officer conducting an impaired investigation was punched in the face.
“I commend the off-duty officer for placing themselves at risk, without back up or intervention equipment, to arrest an individual that was unpredictable and a danger to the community,” Pauls said Thursday (May 20).
“It is absolutely irresponsible and potentially deadly for a person to incorporate a vehicle into their personal substance use behaviour. I sincerely hope that this individual seeks the appropriate treatment for an underlying issue that could have killed someone that evening and will have a lasting impact on the assaulted officers mental wellbeing.”
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