A father and his daughter will long remember the evening of January 2nd when they were arrested by police officers with guns drawn for possession of stolen goods because they swapped license plates.
Trevor Mantey and his 15-year-old daughter Kallie were driving on a back road near Sylvan Lake, Alberta, when they noticed Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers in the ditch, Global News reported.
“Out of nowhere, a mat with nails was laid out on the road in front of us,” Mr Mantey said. I hit the brakes and stopped maybe a meter in front of the car.”
Happy that his tires hadn't blown out, the father to his right was surprised by a police officer who pointed a gun at him and his daughter and asked them to put their hands in the air, the father of the family said.
“It was a terrible, incredibly terrible situation,” said Trevor Mantey, who was handcuffed and forced to lie on the floor where he was searched.
It was only when he reached the rear of his vehicle that Mr Mantey realized the number plate was not his. He believes it was traded in for a stolen license plate.
According to him, the situation was defused when the officers checked his driver's license. The father and daughter were released without charge.
They were still accompanied to the registration office to apply for a new license plate, he added.
“This can't happen. If my daughter had been driving we probably would have ended up on our roof in the ditch,” Mr Mantey continued.
The RCMP said its officers' response to such situations involving criminals behind the wheel is justified
“It was traumatic,” the young girl admitted. There were dogs, guns and police everywhere. They closed the entire street.”