A Prince George man was pulled over by police after driving a child-size pink toy Barbie Jeep along one of the main roads in the north-central B.C. city on Sept. 5.
And on a day that included a hit-and-run involving an ambulance and a prominent downtown business being destroyed by fire, photos and video of the Barbie Jeep quickly spread online with a mixture of humour and disbelief.
Photos captured by several witnesses show Kasper Lincoln wearing aviator sunglasses and cruising down 15th Avenue near Nicholson Street — one of the main thoroughfares.
Speaking to CBC News, Lincoln said he was getting ready to go get a slurpee with a friend but “got lazy” and decided to borrow his roommate’s child’s tiny car to get around, as his friend walked along beside him.
“I never drove it before,” he said while laughing.
In the images, Lincoln is seen driving near the side of a road that’s been closed for construction before turning onto an open side road. Then, an unmarked police cruiser pulls him over and he’s arrested.
Some onlookers were in disbelief.
“You’re really arresting him for driving a kid’s Jeep?” asked Summer Caron, one of the people to film the man being put in handcuffs.
She told CBC News that Lincoln had been driving close to the curb and going “maybe three miles per hour.”
Nikita Morgan saw part of the incident as she drove in the open lane beside him.
“I was cruisin’ down the street, right?” she said in a Facebook message to CBC News.
“And this undercover [unmarked police vehicle] is behind me … so I roll my window down and say ‘Don’t let ’em catch you riding dirty,'” a reference to a phrase popularized by the 2005 Chamillionaire song Ridin’ that refers to driving while taking part in an illegal activity.
She was surprised the police got involved, saying the driver of the little car appeared to be playing it safe.
“He didn’t look like he was speeding to me.”
Lincoln said the police told him they had received multiple calls about him, and told him he’d been driving in the middle of the road, which he denied, saying that for the majority of his journey he had been driving on the sidewalk until he saw the blocked off lane.
Andrea Stirgard, a mail carrier who was leaving a nearby Canada Post office, was with her co-workers when they saw the Barbie Jeep coming toward them.
“We were just kind of watching him, living his best life,” she said of Lincoln. “He was just happy as a clam…. We were actually kind of jealous.”
The police action, she said “seems a bit overkill, but that’s just me.”
“It was honestly epic, I give the guy 10 stars.”
Several memes, poking fun at the incident, have been created and shared on social media, including one depicting the day’s event in the style of the Grand Theft Auto videogame.
But according to police, driving an unlicensed motorized vehicle — even one that’s made for a child — on a road meant for full-sized cars is against the law.
Without being able to comment on the specifics of the case, RCMP media relations officer Staff Sgt. Kris Clark said driving an uninsured vehicle is sufficient grounds to make an arrest, especially when combined with other possible violations including impairment.
Lincoln told CBC News that after he was pulled over, he blew over the legal blood alcohol limit twice.
Kyla Lee, a Vancouver-based lawyer specializing in driving offences agreed with police, saying it is well-established that toy vehicles are not allowed on the road.
“You are required to have a driver’s licence in British Columbia if you’re operating any motorized vehicle on the roadway,” she said. “That includes Barbie cars, toy cars, electric skateboards — anything like that. It is required to have a licence and insurance.”
She said while some cities are seeking to adapt the rules given the increased popularity of electric scooters and e-bikes, when it comes to a Barbie Jeep the law is cut and dry: “Toy cars constitute motor vehicles if they are powered by some sort of an engine.”
Generally speaking, she said, police aren’t likely to get involved for a child playing on a quiet residential street but in this case, the car was driving on a high-traffic road used by other vehicles.
“It’s a huge public safety risk,” she said. “If you’re using it on the sidewalk, you pose a risk to pedestrians, to children. If you’re using it on the roadway, it’s a safety risk to yourself. Nobody wants to hit somebody in a Barbie car and drivers aren’t looking for Barbie cars in the roadway.”
Lincoln said he has been arrested by police several times in the past but “this is the most hilarious one.”
As a result of the incident, Lincoln said he is facing a driving-under-the-influence charge, and that’s why he was taken into custody.
He said he plans to dispute the ticket, but added he doesn’t hold it against the police for bringing him in.
“He was really nice,” Lincoln said of the arresting officer. “He was filling out all of this paperwork, saying ‘This is my first time!'”
But he also insists he had no idea he was breaking the law.
“I was using the hand signals and everything,” he said.
And Lincoln said he is taking it in stride, enjoying the jokes and messages he is receiving from people who’ve posted about his arrest.
His takeaway?
“Don’t drink and drive.”
