Usually, drivers with something to hide try to make a subtle U-turn when they see a checkpoint.
But three drivers sped away from checkpoints Wednesday night — one reaching speeds of more than 100 km/h in a residential area.
The first incident occurred at 10:25 p.m. in Cole Harbour as RCMP officers stopped traffic on Highway 7. As an officer approached a grey Hyundai, the vehicle sped off, police said.
The vehicle was found abandoned on Leander Drive, but police were unable to locate the driver.
More than one hour later, at another Cole Harbour checkpoint, a silver Kia Sorrento allegedly avoided the stop and took off through a residential area travelling at more than 100 km/h, police said.
RCMP officers didn’t pursue the vehicle because of public safety concerns.
Then, at 2 a.m. Thursday, police say a grey van was spotted trying to turn away from a checkpoint in Hammonds Plains.
Police followed the van as it turned into a driveway. The driver jumped out and ran into the woods. A police dog was able to track down a suspect.
A 46-year-old man was arrested and charged with breaching his release conditions, trespassing, resisting arrest and several Motor Vehicle Act offences.
The driver avoided the checkpoint because he didn’t have a licence, said Cpl. Scott MacRae.
Two of the three checkpoints were set up to look for drunk drivers, but MacRae said surprisingly it doesn’t appear alcohol was a factor.
“But two got away and we got one, so we don’t know,” he said.
