Last May, 19-year-old Leonardo Del Carpio decided to drive his Dodge Journey even though he’d been banned from driving less than two weeks earlier.
The bad decisions snowballed from there.
A police officer ran his plate on Canada Way in Burnaby and discovered the vehicle’s insurance had expired and its registered owner – Del Carpio – was a prohibited driver, according to information presented at a sentencing hearing in Vancouver provincial court Monday.
When the officer made a U-turn to follow the Dodge Journey, Del Carpio got nervous.
When the officer tried to pulled him over at Mary Avenue and 14th Street, he “panicked,” according to defence lawyer West Pryde.
Del Carpio took off “at a high rate of speed,” nearly hitting another vehicle and a cyclist, according to Crown prosecutor Louise Gauld.
Police located the Dodge Journey, she said, but Del Carpio then tried to take off on foot and was arrested a short time later.
Del Carpio, now 20, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in February to one count of dangerous driving.
He had originally also been charged with driving while prohibited, wilfully resisting a police officer and flight from police, but those charges were stayed.
In a joint sentencing submission, Pryde and Gauld called for a conditional discharge, one year of probation, 50 hours of community work service and a one-year driving ban.
They noted Del Carpio’s guilty plea, his age and the fact he doesn’t have a criminal record.
B.C. provincial court Judge Patricia Bond agreed to the sentence but called it “light” given the risk Del Carpio’s actions posed to the public.
“It’s horrifying to think of what could have happened in that circumstance,” Bond said. “I want you to understand that it could have been much worse, both in terms of the consequences of your actions and in terms of the penalty that might have been imposed.”
If Del Carpio abides by the terms of his probation, he will not have a criminal record.
His Dodge Journey, however, was seized by the province’s civil forfeiture office for being used in the commission of an offence, according to the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email [email protected]
