Multiple drivers charged after allegedly doing doughnuts for hundreds of spectators in Etobicoke
CBC News | Posted: May 17, 2020 8:00 PM | Last Updated: May 17, 2020
Police forces in Toronto, York and cities across Canada report uptick in stunt driving amid COVID-19
Toronto police have charged a number of people after drivers were allegedly seen doing doughnuts at an intersection in Etobicoke Sunday morning as hundreds of spectators watched.
Police said they became aware of reports of around 300 vehicles blocking the Dixon Road and Carlingview Drive intersection in Etobicoke.
Toronto police spokesperson David Hopkinson said police were called to the area around 12:30 a.m. for stunt driving.
When officers arrived less than 10 minutes later, Hopkinson said most cars were seen leaving north and southbound from the intersection.
Officers described seeing about 150 cars in the area, Hopkinson said, adding that he's not sure if those were cars were involved in the incident or just driving by.
"There were a number of charges laid [but there were] no vehicle impounds from this event," he told CBC News.
"They were investigated and charged," he said, adding that no arrests were made.
It was not immediately clear the exact number of people charged.
Police see increase in stunt driving, speeding
The incident is emblematic of a trend seen in several cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With fewer cars on the road, police in Toronto, York, Hamilton and other cities across Canada have reported an uptick in both speeding and stunt driving.
Hopkinson told CBC Toronto that quieter roads "give people the opportunity to drive faster" and have resulted in a "significant" increase in instances of stunt driving.
Ontario Provincial Police officers say they have seen a 30 per cent increase in stunt driving charges when compared to this time last year, according to Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, spokesperson for the OPP's Highway Safety Division.
"There's some drivers that take advantage of open roads, thinking it's their personal racetrack ... certainly not sharing the road as they should be," Schmidt said.
Schmidt says speeding itself can be classified as stunt driving if a vehicle is going 50 kilometres per hour or more above the speed limit.
Anyone charged with a stunt driving offence is subject to a seven-day licence suspension and seven-day vehicle impound, Schmidt said.
The maximum penalties also include a $10,000 fine, six months in prison, and two years of an additional license suspension.