Port Moody driver nabbed going 123km/h just hours after Good Samaritans took car keys

Police in Port Moody say a “dumbfounding” string of events led to a man being arrested after allegedly driving intoxicated and going almost two and a half times the speed limit.

The Port Moody Police Department says that early Sunday morning, around 1:45 a.m., officers were called to a wedding near Moody Centre after Good Samaritans took away the car keys from an “intoxicated man who indicated he was going to drive home.”

“After his keys were taken away, the man became agitated, causing a disturbance and triggering the call to police. Attending officers arrested the man at scene for Breach of Peace as a preventative measure then transported him home to his Vancouver residence with the understanding he would retrieve his parked vehicle much later once sober,” Const. Sam Zacharias explained Tuesday, telling 1130 NewsRadio his home was more than 20 kilometres away.

“Around two hours later, our officers were stationed in front of the police station on St John’s there, and they observed a vehicle barreling towards them, travelling at a speed of 123 kilometres, and that’s a 50 zone,” he explained.

“This vehicle was going more than 70 kilometres above the speed limit.”

Zacharias says that during an ensuing traffic stop, officers realized the driver was the same man who had been arrested earlier in the morning.

“It was determined that he took some sort of rideshare back to Port Moody from Vancouver in order to pick up his parked vehicle. Needless to say, the driver was arrested for impaired operation. He was also held in police custody until he was sober,” he shared.

The 29-year-old is now facing charges under the Motor Vehicle Act, a driving ban, and a vehicle impoundment, the PMPD says. A high-risk driving report has also been filed with Road Safety B.C., it adds.

“This incident is astonishing, given the fact that he had the opportunity multiple times to do the right thing, thanks to people like these Good Samaritans who stepped in,” Zacharias said.

“[It is] really concerning and certainly put the public at risk here. It’s fortunate that no one was injured or hurt or killed, including the driver himself.”