TORONTO -- York Regional Police have released a video that shows the arrest of an impaired driver who allegedly let his 12-year-old son take the wheel before the two switched places.
Police received a 911 call from a concerned citizen who spotted the child driving erratically.
In the video, the caller can be heard explaining to a 911 operator that he observed the vehicle “almost cause two accidents” and that when he pulled up alongside it he saw a young child in the driver’s seat.
“I am like ‘How old are you and he goes 12 and I am like ‘you can’t be driving a car.’ His dad is obviously visibly what I think is drunk in the passenger seat, two cars honked and finally the dad took over and he is swerving and braking,” the caller says.
“I wonder if he is intoxicated and let his 12-year-old son drive.”
After receiving the 911 call, police responded to the area and eventually pulled the vehicle over.
The video shows police administering a field sobriety test to the driver before informing him that he was being taken into custody for impaired operation of a motor vehicle and child endangerment.
Off camera an officer can be heard telling the child that his dad “has to come to the station to talk about what happened today.”
That officer then offers to buy the child a slushy from a nearby convenience store.
It is not immediately clear where in York Region the arrest took place.
In a message posted to Twitter, York Regional Police applauded the actions of the 911 caller and said that he “may have saved lives.”
“This Victoria Day long weekend, York Regional Police will be laser-focused on arresting impaired drivers. To all who choose to call police when they suspect an impaired driver: this one is for you,” they said.
