RCMP officers from Lake Cowichan caught up to a speeding motorcyclist — after he lost control of his bike and ended up on the side of the road — only to find that he was driving without a licence, had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, and was prohibited from driving.
Just after 7 a.m. on Friday, July 2, an officer was travelling west on Highway 18 in an unmarked police vehicle when he noticed a motorcycle come up behind him and pass him at what police described as an “excessively high rate of speed.”
The officer tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the vehicle he was driving couldn’t catch up to the motorcycle, so he radioed ahead to the detachment and had another member wait for the bike to arrive. Police were able to stop the driver just east of the junction of Highway 18 and Youbou Road, but only after the driver tried to pass another vehicle on the shoulder and lost control of his motorcycle at a low speed and laid the bike down in the grass.
“We immediately checked on the driver who was unhurt from his spill on the grass,” said Staff Sgt. Steve Perret, southern Vancouver Island Advisory NCO. “However, after confirming his identity it was learned he did not hold a valid driver’s licence, had an outstanding warrant, and was also prohibited from driving.”
The man was arrested for the outstanding warrant and for driving while prohibited, and released at the scene with a court date in Duncan in September. He was also issued tickets for excessive speeding, passing on the right, and not having a licence plate. The motorbike, which was registered in Ontario, but not licensed, was impounded.
