One driver’s error led another driver to make assumptions, which landed both of them at the Chase RCMP detachment.
Around 3:10 p.m. on July 29, RCMP officers responded to a driving complaint on Highway 1 near Chase. The complainant reported having been cut off by a pickup truck and suspected the truck’s driver had been impaired.
Chase RCMP Sgt. Barry Kennedy said police looked for the pickup but were unable to find it.
About 15 minutes later, police received a 911 call from a frightened woman who said she and her young daughter, who were travelling in a pickup truck, were being followed by a grey minivan.
“They were nearly home when she noticed the mini-van was still following her,” said Kennedy. “She kept driving so that the other driver wouldn’t know where they lived. They ended up on a dirt road in a rural area. When she tried to turn around to backtrack, the mini-van blocked the road.”
Kennedy said the woman managed to escape and called 911. The dispatcher told her to go to the Chase RCMP detachment. The grey minivan followed, and soon after both vehicles pulled into the RCMP station parking lot.
Police spoke with both drivers and learned the driver of the minivan was the original complainant.
“He was following the pickup truck because he thought the driver was impaired,” said Kennedy. “It apparently did not occur to him that this might be frightening for the individuals being followed.”
Kennedy said the driver of the pickup was not impaired, “she simply made a common driving error.”
“Although the mini-van driver did not have any malicious intent, the mother and daughter were understandably shaken by the experience,” said Kennedy.
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