A 44-year-old Ladysmith man allegedly driving drunk with his two toddlers in the back of his pickup truck was arrested in Burnaby thanks to a civilian who followed him on Highway 1 all the way from Langley, according to police.
The civilian witnessed the pickup moving erratically on the highway and called police, giving updates as the pickup took the Gaglardi Way offramp, Burnaby RCMP said.
Just before 5 p.m., the man told police he saw the pickup hit the ditch at Cariboo Road and Gaglardi Way.
Burnaby RCMP responded and located the pickup at Eastlake Drive and Beaverbrook Drive, where the driver had allegedly just been involved in a rear-end collision with another vehicle.
Officers followed the pickup and tried to stop it, but police said the driver continued driving before stopping further down the road in a cul-de-sac at Eastlake Drive.
He was arrested, and his two young children were picked up by another family member, according to Burnaby RCMP.
Without help from an “alert citizen,” Cpl. Mike Kalanj said the situation could have resulted in “unthinkable consequences.”
“We are very thankful to the citizen, who did not try to get involved or stop the vehicle himself but instead ensured that we had accurate information on where the vehicle was going,” Kalanj said.
The driver now faces charges of impaired driving, driving while suspended and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
