BC RCMP Uses Cruiser to Stop Brakeless Ford Escort

BC Highway Patrol in Parksville spotted a car travelling at 125 km/h in a 90 km/h zone last week on Highway 19 near Nanoose Bay on Victoria Island. What could've been a routine stop with a hefty fine turned into a rescue operation when the 1999 Ford Escort sedan was determined to have no working brakes.

"The car drove past the officer who immediately noticed that the driver had a stressed look on her face and had both hands off the steering wheel, gesturing wildly," said the RCMP in a release Wednesday.

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The Highway Patrol officer then took action in order to protect the driver and surrounding motorists the best way he could.

"The officer manoeuvred his car in front of the speeding vehicle and, after several attempts to communicate his intentions to the driver, used it as the brakes to safely bring the vehicle to a stop without any injuries or damage," police said.

Mounties say both the vehicle's regular brakes and parking brake were out of order. The car had been previously spotted running through red lights in Nanaimo.

The Driver is Not Out of the Woods Yet

At the wheel of the brakeless Ford Escort was a 33-year-old woman who was prohibited from driving and wanted on several warrants. After she initially gave police a fake name, the officers learned that the vehicle's licence plate didn’t match the vehicle’s description and VIN, was uninsured and didn’t belong to the driver.

To top it off, the driver failed a roadside breath test, resulting in an additional three-day driving ban.

The woman was fined and taken into custody, and has since been released. The vehicle was also impounded.