Video shows arrest of alleged drunk driver who was 5 times over legal limit in Vaughan, Ont.

cp24.com
Phil Tsekouras
July 21, 2023

Police say a drunk driver struck a number of concrete barriers on a highway north of Toronto before he was pulled off the road.

Video of an “extremely” intoxicated driver who was allegedly more than five times over the legal limit when he was pulled off the road north of Toronto has been released by police.

At 10 a.m. on July 18, police said, York Regional Police (YRP) received a call from a concerned citizen who witnessed a black Honda CRV travelling erratically southbound on Highway 400 in Vaughan, Ont.

According to the caller, the driver of the CRV reportedly sideswiped concrete barriers at the side of the road “multiple times,” police said.

In audio of the 911 call released by police, the citizen tells the dispatcher that the motorist was “all over the place” and couldn’t stay in his lane before he pulled in to a service station parking lot.

Dashcam video from a YRP cruiser shows the moment an officer approaches the CRV, which is parked but still running with the passenger-side door open.

Both the driver and the passenger appeared to be asleep before the officer taps on the driver-side window to wake the occupants up, police said.

“How about you actually step on out,” the officer says.

“No, I uhcI have like uh...a slipped disk in my back, and like, uh, he’s just helping me,” the driver is heard saying to the officer.

“OK. Well, judging by your eyes...you’ve got something on board. So have you consumed any alcohol or drugs today?” the officer asks the driver, who denies the accusation.

“You’re drooling. You have bloodshot eyes,” the officer is heard saying to the driver before he’s asked to step out of the vehicle.

When the driver does exit the car, he appears to stumble and is eventually placed under arrest.

The driver, who was identified by police as a 53-year-old man from the Town of New Tecumseth but was not named, was found to be more than five times over the legal limit --which is the second-highest blood-alcohol level recorded since York Regional Police began tracking the statistics.

“Due to the extremely high level of intoxication, the male was transported to a hospital for assessment where he was seen by a doctor and then released,” police said in a news release issued Thursday about the incident.

The driver was charged with impaired operation and impaired operation with blood-alcohol concentration 80 plus, police said, adding that his licence was suspended for 90 days and the vehicle he was driving was impounded for seven days.

“Impaired driving continues to be an unacceptable and avoidable problem on our roads. York Regional Police remains firmly committed to doing all it can to tackle this issue,” police said. 

"If you see an impaired driver, call 911 right away."