Drunken man rips through Manitoba campground in Smart Car, say RCMP
Driver 'came barreling down the road at an alarmingly fast rate,' camper says
A Winnipegger is accused of doing something very dumb in a Smart Car at a campground, and one camper says it wasn't just the man's driving that was unintelligent.
"From what came out of his mouth, nobody who is in their right state of mind says those things to people in authority in my opinion," Coral Wiebe said.
A 25-year-old man is facing a slew of charges after allegedly speeding his vehicle through a campground while drunk.
RCMP were called to St. Malo Provincial Park, about 60 kilometres south of Winnipeg, by conservation officers around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
"You know, someone who drank far too much during the day decided to go into a vehicle and drive around the park in an unsafe manner and put lives at risk. So it's a very dangerous scenario that unfolded," said RCMP spokesman Rob Cyrenne.
Wiebe was camping with her family when she witnessed the man speed by.
"There was a little smart car that came barreling down the road at an alarmingly fast rate considering you are in a campground," Wiebe said, adding she feared for the safety of kids and pets wandering around the campground.
Wiebe said the man eventually turned around in the distance and sped back past where she was camping. It was then that another group of campers started yelling at the man to slow down, Wiebe said.
"He decided to have a confrontation. There was a lot of vulgarity and swearing. He took off speeding back down to his campsite and shortly after someone from the group that he confronted came down I guess to continue the argument," Wiebe said.
No campers or tents were hit and the man was taken into custody when he drove his Smart Car to his own campsite, about seven or eight spots down from where Wiebe's family was camping.
Wiebe added while she wasn't in a position to say for certain whether the man was drunk, his volatile behaviour was odd enough to suggest something weird was going on.
"There was a lot of yelling, a lot of screaming. It was a little unsettling. It's the long weekend. Enjoy yourself but have respect for everyone else that is here."