A 20-year-old Edmonton man was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after he tried to flee police when a member of the Prince George RCMP's traffic services section saw him using a cellphone while driving.
RCMP said members had been conducting enhanced distracted driving enforcement in the downtown area when the observation was made near 6th Avenue and Victoria Street shortly before 1:30 p.m.
The driver refused to pull over and in the interest of public safety, the officer did not pursue. But backup was called in and the vehicle was found abandoned on Brunswick Street a short time later.
And within about 20 minutes of the start of the event, the suspect was arrested near 7th Avenue and Victoria Street. He was taken into police cells for processing and release later the same day with documents to appear in court at a later date, pending charge assessment from provincial Crown counsel.
