After seeing a vehicle driving slowly and weaving on Interstate 15 in Utah, a trooper turned on his siren and the driver pulled over.  When he approached the vehicle, the officer was not expecting to find a 5-year-old behind the wheel.“You’re 5 years old? Wow!” the trooper can be seen saying to the young driver on dashcam footage, which went viral on YouTube shortly after the incident.He asked the child where he learned how to drive and wrote down other relevant details.  The boy told the officer he left his home after arguing with his mother because she would not buy him a Lamborghini.“He decided to take the car and go to California to buy one himself,” the police department posted in a tweet, adding, “He might have been short on the purchase amount as he only had $3 in his wallet.”It is unclear how the boy was able to reach the gas pedal and break at the same time he was steering, but this is probably why he was driving erratically.

Photo by A. L. on Unsplash

This story is reminiscent of last month’s incident in which Washington resident Alberto Tito Alejandro, 51, led officers on a high-speed chase for 50 miles.  When the vehicle eventually crashed, they were shocked to discover a pit bull behind the wheel.During the chase, Alejandro’s 1996 Buick traveled at over 100 miles per hour and allegedly hit two other vehicles.  The chase only ended when the vehicle drove onto a bicycle trail and hit troopers’ spike strips.  When officers approached, they discovered the dog steering while Alejandro was pressing on the gas pedal.“When we took him into custody, he admitted to our troopers that he was trying to teach his dog to drive,” Trooper Heather Axtman said. “I’ve been a trooper for almost ten years, and I’ve had a lot of excuses when I’ve arrested people or pulled people over, but I’ve never had an excuse that the dog was driving.”In 2017, Carrie L. Bernard took a similar approach while under the influence of alcohol.  She placed her eight-year-old son on her lap and asked him to steer their way to the liquor store for more booze.  However, they never made it to the store.  A Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy saw the car entering an on-ramp with a child seated on the driver’s lap.“I think I might have a drink after this,” Bernard reportedly said after being detained.  She had failed multiple field sobriety tests and showed obvious signs of impairment.“She stated there was no one who operated the car other than her,” Deputy Whitney Hendon said.  But, Hendon seen the boy’s hands on the wheel prior to pulling over the vehicle.  The deputy turned to the boy to verify his mother’s statement. “That’s when the small child began to cry,” he said, and stated, “I don’t want to go to jail.”All of these incidents could have certainly ended much worse.  Luckily, police intervened just in time and no one was seriously injured.

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Five-year-old stopped on U.S. highway wanted to buy Lamborghini, police sayCops discover a PIT BULL behind the wheel of car after 100 mph chase - as owner says he was teaching the animalCops Find Pit Bull at Wheel After Car Chase — and Owner Allegedly Said He Was Teaching Dog to DriveMother, Drunk, Asks 8-Year-Old To Drive To The Liquor Store