'They will be held accountable': Winnipeg police cracking down on stunt driving
Winnipeg police are working to crack down on dangerous driving and stunt driving throughout the city.
Insp. Max Waddell said Project Stunt Driving was launched in the spring following numerous complaints from residents and businesses about excessive noise and careless driving.
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Winnipeg newsletters
During a news conference Wednesday, police showed surveillance video of drivers travelling at high rates of speed, and performing dangerous driving tricks in parking lots. The individuals have not been identified.
Coun. Evan Duncan, who represents Charleswood, Tuxedo, and Westwood, said he receives calls daily from residents in his ward due to the influx of vehicles on cruise night on the weekends.
"Let's make one thing clear; it's not all cruise night goers. It's the idiots that sit in the parking lots along Portage Avenue that are revving their engines, that are ripping down Portage Avenue, that don't care about anything but their cars or themselves," he said. "These people are making life miserable for residents in Winnipeg."
Between May 15 and Sept. 6, police received 37 calls for service for street racing, squealing tires, and dangerous driving in surface parking lots.
Incidents include vehicles taunting and surrounding a security vehicle, a motorcyclist travelling at 189 km/h down the Southwest Rapid Transit Closure and a person laying on the hood of a vehicle going 120 km/h.
Waddell said police conducted a traffic safety checkpoint on Sept. 7, after 88 vehicles were gathered in the RM of Rosser committing highway traffic infractions that were caught on camera. Sixty-five provincial offence notices were issued, including for making unnecessary smoke, making unnecessary noise, driving while disqualified, and driving carelessly.
"We hope this enforcement initiative will remind those who engage in reckless driving behaviour that they will be held accountable," he said.
Waddell said so far in 2024, there have been 22 fatal motor vehicle collisions.
Waddell said the goal of this crackdown was to ensure people stay safe.
"I hope that, through these videos, we've educated people that if you're participating in riding on a car hood or driving 189 kilometres on a motorcycle, it's probably not a good idea. Somebody is going to get hurt," he said.
'It gives the car community a bad name'
One Winnipeg club is fed up with reckless drivers ruining the hobby.
Evan Page, organizer of 204 Cruise Collective, started his club for Sunday night cruisers after a long-running meetup in Westwood was shut down earlier this year.
"All it took was one person who was intoxicated, and they side-swiped four or five vehicles and just like that, they banned the area. They closed it off," he said.
Page said events like this result in a negative perception of car clubs around the city.
"It gives the car community a bad name because people think that we're dangerous,” he said.
Page said there is a clear set of rules at the new meets, and it's up to members to follow them to keep the meetings going.
"We just want to be able to continue having these meets," he said. "We can't do it if people like that make a bad name for the community, so it really is up to us to get after each other."
- With files from CTV’s Danton Unger.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Five years after toddler's brutal death, Northern Ont. family struggles to find peace, justice
A North Bay family is struggling to find peace and justice as the five-year anniversary of the brutal death of toddler Oliver McCarthy approaches.
Alberta RCMP officer charged with 2 counts of sexual assault
Const. Bridget Morla, a Leduc RCMP officer, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault in connection with an incident that happened two years ago.
Ontario dad removes hockey rink at heart of neighbour dispute
A Markham dad who drew the ire of neighbours and the city after installing a hockey rink in his backyard says the rink has now been taken down.
Kingston, Ont. doctor in 'disbelief' after being ordered to repay $600K for pandemic vaccination payments
An Ontario health tribunal has ordered a Kingston, Ont. doctor to repay over $600,000 to the Ontario government for improperly billing thousands of COVID-19 vaccinations at the height of the pandemic.
Three climbers from the U.S. and Canada are missing on New Zealand's highest peak
Three mountain climbers from the U.S. and Canada are missing after they failed to return from a planned ascent of New Zealand's highest peak, Aoraki, authorities said Tuesday.
Motivated by obsession: Canadians accused in botched California murder plot in police custody
Two Canadians are in police custody in Monterey County, California, after a triple stabbing police say was motivated by a B.C. man's obsession with a woman he played video games with online.
Trump demands immediate release of Oct. 7 hostages, says otherwise there will be 'HELL TO PAY'
President-elect Donald Trump is demanding the immediate release of the Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza, saying that if they are not freed before he is sworn into office there will be “HELL TO PAY."
Belly fat linked to signs of Alzheimer’s 20 years before symptoms begin, study says
As the size of a person’s belly grows, the memory centre of their brain shrinks and beta amyloid and tau may appear — all of this occurring as early as a person’s 40s and 50s, well before any cognitive decline is apparent, according to new research.
More RCMP and CBSA ‘human resources’ destined for border, Public Safety Minister LeBlanc says
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the federal government will 'absolutely' be adding more Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and RCMP ‘human resources’ at the border.