A mobile teen drinking party featuring a dozen youths in a rented U-haul cube van was among the street activities curtailed by Ottawa police Friday night in their continuing #ResidentsMatter initiative targeting unsafe vehicle activities in the capital.
The party van, driven by a 17-year-old, was located on Prince of Wales Drive near Maplehill Way.
Police stopping the vehicle found 12 passengers, aged 17 and 18, riding unsecured in the cargo area, with some seated on a sofa.
Three more occupants were seated in the front of the vehicle, including one passenger not wearing a seatbelt.
The driver was charged with stunt driving for carrying passengers in the cargo area of the vehicle. Their driver’s licence was suspended for 30 days, and the vehicle was impounded for 14 days.
The arrests were part of a citywide project targeting stunt-driving, street racing and other unsafe vehicle activities.
The #ResidentsMatter project began earlier in the spring as part of a response to residents’ complaints over large-scale “car meetup” gatherings in several locations in the city.
“While no large-scale gathering materialized (this weekend), officers observed smaller groups of vehicles at various locations,” police said in a social media release Sunday.
The largest gathering Friday night involved 30-40 vehicles in a parking lot near Strandherd Drive and Greenbank Road, police said.
In all, police laid more than four dozen tickets related to high-risk driving behaviour and unsafe vehicle operation. Charges included speeding, red light violations, unnecessary noise, improper tires, and seatbelt-related offences.
Four vehicles were impounded, and four drivers were charged with stunt-driving, police said.
Other notable enforcement issues included:
- a 30-year-old driver charged with stunt-driving, travelling 140 km/h in a 70 km/h zone on Strandherd Drive;
- a suspended driver identified through Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology on Fallowfield Road, and;
- two additional stunt-driving charges for excessive speed in Ottawa’s west end.
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