US POLICE were left bemused after discovering a five-year-old boy behind the wheel of a car driving erratically down a stretch of motorway in Utah.
Officers decided to stop the vehicle after it was observed weaving erratically through lanes of traffic.
Upon closer inspection, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper discovered the young child in the driver’s seat.
Footage of the incident, which was captured on the patrol car’s dashboard camera, has been viewed on YouTube more than 1.4 million times.
One of our Troopers in Weber Co. initiated a traffic stop on what he thought was an impaired driver. Turns out it was this young man, age 5, somehow made his way up onto the freeway in his parents' car. Made it from 17th and Lincoln in Ogden down to the 25th St off-ramp SB I-15. pic.twitter.com/3aF1g22jRB
— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) May 4, 2020
In the video, the trooper’s surprise at the age and profile of the driver is evident.
“You’re 5 years old?” he says. “Wow!”
The officer involved composes himself before asking the child where he learned to drive and how he ended up driving 88 miles per hour down I-15.
“His story is that he left home after an argument with Mom, in which she told him she would not buy him a Lamborghini,"” Utah Highway Patrol said.
“He decided he'd take the car and go to California to buy one himself. He might have been short on the purchase amount, as he only had $3 dollars in his wallet.”
The boy has not been identified because he is a minor.
A police force spokesperson said: “The family reported that the boy’s older sibling was watching him that morning.
“The sibling fell asleep and then the boy took the keys to the SUV off of a hook in their home, he started the vehicle and began his short journey from near 17th and Lincoln in Ogden to southbound I-15 (the correct path to California) near mile post 342 where he was stopped by Trp. Morgan.
“We estimate the distance traveled by the 5-year-old to be about 2-3 miles. Fortunately, no one was hurt and no property was found damaged during his short outing.
“At this time, no citations have been issued and no charges filed on the boy or his family. UHP will forward the reports and other evidence from this incident to the Weber County Attorney’s office for screening.”
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