OTTAWA, Ontario — A Canadian driver who forgot to lock his car before going into a restaurant said he felt like he was robbed when a police officer fined him for leaving his doors vulnerable.
According to CTV News, David Carriere said police in Gatineau, Que. ticketed him a $52 ticket last week citing a law requiring drivers to lock their doors after parking their vehicles. He said he realized his car was unlocked when he walked into the restaurant — and when he walked back out to lock his car, he was met by an officer.
"He said, 'I have to give you a ticket.' I said, 'It's okay. I'm at the Baton Rouge. I can be parked there,'" he told CTV News. "He said, 'No. It's for not having your car doors locked.'"
Carriere alleged the officer who issued the ticket was "peering through vehicle windows" in the parking lot shortly after he walked into the restaurant. He added the officer told him it was 'too late' in response to Carriere not locking his car and was then handed the ticket.
CTV News reports Gatineau police have issued 467 tickets for unlocked cars in 2017, down from 517 in 2016. In part, the province states in its Highway Safety Codes, "No person may leave unattended a road vehicle that is in his custody without previously removing the ignition key and locking the doors."
Carriere told CTV News he was not sure if he plans to fight the ticket.
