Police have the aid of video evidence to back up a charge of street racing against a young driver who ended a high-speed run along Ospika Boulevard late Saturday afternoon by crashing his car into a power pole.
A Prince George resident, who asked his name not be used, had his video camera on hand when a car with a green "new driver" magnet on the back blew by the vehicle he was in with his family and changed lanes abruptly.
"I thought, this looks a little suspicious so I got out my video camera," he said. "And as we sat at the intersection of Massey and Ospika, he was sitting there revving his engine - it looked like he was trying to goad the car beside him into a drag race.
"The light turned green, he roared off with squealing tires at a high rate of speed - we estimate twice the speed limit because of the amount of time it took to get from A to B - and he got down to about 22nd Avenue and I zoomed in with my camera following him the whole way.
"And somebody pulled out off of 22nd Avenue into the intersection, I guess thinking he had enough time to clear the intersection, but he was coming so fast they stopped. The racing car veered left and smashed into on of these concrete power towers on Ospika."
A video enthusiast, the local had taken the camera with him to get footage of the Two Rivers Gallery garden tour and was in the back seat of the car, which was being driven by his daughter, also a new driver.
"I've seen some crazy things but never like this," he said.
Police dropped by the family's home on Sunday to get statements.
Police said the 17-year-old driver and his 23-year-old passenger in the Acura Integra escaped with minor injuries. The driver was charged with speeding and driving without due care and attention under the Motor Vehicle Act.
The car received extensive front-end damage and was impounded for a week under the provincial government's street racing regulation.
