TikTok shared by GTA police parodies 'outrageous' stunt driving, reveals recent arrest

A 22-year-old man from Aurora has been charged with dangerous driving and stunt driving after allegedly posting videos of himself street racing across York Region.

Officers from York Regional Police shared the arrest on Friday morning – using TikTok.

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The video, uploaded to TikTok by the official York Regional Police account, parodies the original videos posted by the accused, which were captioned, “no, OPP/YRP/Peel ain’t catching this.” In the official York police TikTok, a tow truck is shown taking away a car similar to those in the original videos, with the caption, “caught ya,” including an emoji of a police officer.

Police say they received a tip about the original social media videos in April of this year. The videos, reportedly taken by a man, showed him street racing across York Region and other parts of the GTA. According to police, the videos frequently featured a blue 2022 BMW 5XG sedan racing on public highways with the poster boasting about evading police. The vehicle allegedly had no front plates and fake plates attached to its rear, reading “WILL RUN” and “SMURFY.”

Multiple videos were shared to social media between April 1 and Aug. 12.

Police identified the suspect in the case as a 22-year-old from Aurora. Police executed a search warrant at his residence on Aug. 16, during which time they seized fake license plates and electronic devices. The man’s license was seized and suspended for 30 days, and the BMW was impounded for 14 days. The man has been charged with three counts each of dangerous driving and stunt driving.

In an interview with CP24, YRP Sergeant Clint Whitney called the behaviour in the original videos "pretty outrageous," calling the person posting them "very belligerent."

"There was a lot of bragging about evading police and boasting about getting away with it," said Whitney. "What we saw was an all-around appalling situation and a blatant disregard for road safety."

Whitney says the police force made the TikTok about this arrest to "draw attention to the situation."

"We need to get the message across that dangerous driving is not going to be tolerated on our streets," he said. "We need to get road safety messages out there."

Whitney added that so far in 2023, there have been 650 stunt driving charges, a number he called "outrageous."

"There's too much aggressive and dangerous driving," he said. "These are unacceptable speeds."

This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information pertaining to this investigation or any other serious traffic-related enforcement issue is asked to contact York Regional Police.