"Alert citizen" notifies RCMP of impaired driver with 2 children in vehicle

An alert citizen is being credited by the Burnaby RCMP for notifying police and tracking down a suspected impaired driver.

According to a police statement, the incident took place on January 2, just before 5 pm. The citizen called 911 to report a “possible impaired driver who had driven into a ditch near the intersection of Cariboo Road and Gaglardi Way in Burnaby.”

The driver who called 911 first noticed the suspect’s behaviour on Highway 1 in Langley and reportedly followed them to Burnaby. From there, they contacted police to provide updates on the allegedly impaired driver’s location. They also noticed that the driver in question had two children in his vehicle.

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Before being apprehended, the impaired driver was allegedly involved in a rear-end collision with another car — fortunately, there were no serious injuries to anyone involved.

Members of Burnaby’s Community Response Team (CRT) also responded to the incident and attempted to initiate a traffic stop; however, the driver allegedly continued through it.

The suspect finally stopped after entering a cul de sac and police say he was immediately taken into custody.

CRT officers and members of Burnaby RCMP’s Victim Services unit cared for the two young children in the vehicle until another family member picked them up. The suspect driver, 44 years old, now faces several charges including being impaired while driving, driving while suspended, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

“Along with an alert citizen, our officers were able to prevent a collision that could potentially have had unthinkable consequences,” says Corporal Mike Kalanj of the Burnaby RCMP. “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.”