Police on Vancouver Island are condemning a "selfish" suspected drunk driver who tested at three times the legal limit after going for a spin with his five-year-old son in the car.
The 38-year-old Nanaimo man was arrested early Sunday after a couple on their way home from a party called to report that he was driving on the wrong side of the road and had smashed into an SUV . Officers were shocked to discover the little boy sitting in the back seat when they arrived on the scene.
"Thank goodness no one was injured, especially this five-year-old boy," RCMP Const. Gary O'Brien told CTV News.
"It goes to show how selfish impaired drivers can be, putting their own child at risk."
The suspect was taken back to the local police detachment, where he gave two breath samples registering at .23 and .24. He was held in custody overnight, while his young son was turned over to the care of his grandmother.
Police are recommending drunk-driving charges and the suspect is scheduled to appear in court in March.
"It's just fortunate nobody was killed in this. Kudos go out to the people who reported this," O'Brien said.
The driver was reported by Carl Steele and his wife, who called 911 after they saw the black Honda Civic blowing through stop signs and weaving across the road.
"He was clearly a danger. He was constantly in the oncoming traffic lane. There were kids walking and he was travelling from speeds of near stop to quite high speeds," Steele said.
"He was clearly impaired or ill or something was drastically wrong."
The couple followed the driver for almost 10 minutes, and then waited until police arrived to make the arrest.
Steele said that he and his wife were upset to learn that a little boy had been in the car the whole time.
"It was really scary," he said. "We were just happy he was safe."
The Ministry of Children and Family Development was called after the incident, and police say officials are following up on the young boy's safety.
