NEWS RELEASE
YORK REGIONAL POLICE
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York Regional Police have charged a 34-year-old man from Newmarket after a concerned citizen called 911 to report a suspected impaired driver.
On Sunday, May 24, 2020, at approximately 10:35 p.m., York Regional Police received a call to 911 from a concerned citizen who spotted a suspected impaired driver in the area of Yonge Street and St John’s Sideroad. The caller advised she had seen the suspect vehicle swerve in and out of the lane, nearly going into the ditch, then stop in the middle of the intersection.
Officers located the vehicle and activated their roof lights in an attempt to pull it over, however, the driver fled. Officers were able to contain the vehicle in the area of Lenarthur Court. The driver showed signs of impairment and was placed under arrest. He was transported to #1 District where he refused to provide a breath sample. A four-year-old child who was in the vehicle at the time was fortunately not injured. The Children’s Aid Society was contacted and the child was picked up at the scene by her mother.
Charged:
- 34-year-old man from the Town of Newmarket
Charges Include:
- Impaired Driving
- Failure or Refusal to Comply with Breath Demand
- Flight from Peace Officer
In 2019, York Regional Police received 3,500 calls to 911 reporting suspected impaired drivers as part of our Safe Roads, Your Call program. That was an increase of nearly 18 per cent from the previous year. Many of those calls led to the more than 1,700 impaired-related criminal charges laid. So far in 2020, there have been more than 900 calls to 911 to report suspected impaired drivers. If you see dangerous driving on the road that could jeopardize the safety of motorists and pedestrians, you are encouraged to call 911 immediately.
York Regional Police continues to remind residents that the safest amount of alcohol or drugs to consume before you drive is zero.
We’re not giving up.
For more information, contact York Regional Police Corporate Communications at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 2664
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