VPD officer pulls over impaired driver with 8-year-old in the car

A Patrol Sergeant with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) recently took to Twitter to share an encounter with an impaired driver that could have ended much worse.

On Saturday, Sgt. Sandra Glendinning wrote about an incident where she pulled over an impaired driver — but she wasn’t the only person in the car.

There was also an eight-year-old child sitting inside.

“I got to her window,” she says. “Before I can say anything the eight-year-old passenger starts yelling ‘THANK GOD YOU PULLED US OVER! I THOUGHT WE WERE ALL GOING TO DIE!'”

A powerful tweet from the road, by Sgt Glendinning. Impaired driving continues to be an issue. It really hits home when a small child is put at risk. #DontDrinkAndDrive #DontDriveImpaired #VPD https://t.co/QJi5um4VO8

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) September 16, 2019

Sgt. Glendinning doesn’t give an exact date of the encounter, explaining that there in order to preserve the child’s identity and the investigation, there was a time delay between the incident and the tweet.

She confirms, however, that the driver was arrested and charged with impaired driving and that officers “ensured the safety of the child.”

“My hope is this,” she writes in a separate Tweet, “that the driver got the help she so clearly needed and that the child is no loner at risk.”

What I can share: The driver was arrested and charged with impaired driving, and officers ensured the safety of the child.

My hope is this: That the driver got the help she so clearly needed, and that the child is no longer at risk.

2/2#VPD #patrol

— Sandra Glendinning (@BehindBlueLine) September 16, 2019

Last week, a 12-year-old boy in Langley was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after being hit by a suspected drunk driver.

A 22-year-old driver also faces charges for impaired driving and refusing to provide a breath sample after an overnight crash near Vancouver’s Georgia Viaduct.