OGDEN — A driver who police suspected was under the influence on a Utah freeway Monday was really just underage — by a long shot.
The 5-year-old boy told a trooper he hit the road in his parents’ car so he could buy a Lamborghini in California. He took the wheel after his mother refused to purchase the luxury ride for him, said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Nick Street.
One of Street’s colleagues was preparing to pull over a different driver for speeding about noon Monday when he spotted a car drifting in and out of its lane, braking erratically and switching lanes without a turn signal on southbound I-15, according to Street.
In dash cam footage released by UHP, the boy appeared to be driving a gray SUV. When the trooper turned on his siren, the boy quickly pulled over on the left side of the highway next to the median.
The trooper got out of his car, approached the vehicle and asked the boy a series of questions, including how old he was.
“You’re 5 years old? Wow. OK,” the trooper said, followed by, “Where did you learn how to drive a car?”
“The trooper was really shocked to see a little kid in the car,” Street said. He said he did not know if the child was wearing a seat belt or what type of car he was driving.
The boy had started his journey at 17th Street and Lincoln Avenue in Ogden, traveling at least 2 miles and ending his journey at the offramp at 25th Street, Street told the Deseret News.
A photo provided by the Utah Highway Patrol shows a trooper speaking with the boy, whose face is edited out of the photo and is seen lowering his head and sporting green and black shorts and a sweatshirt.
Troopers believe it’s not the first time the boy, whose name has not been released, has taken the wheel and been stopped by police. They were preparing to speak with the Weber County Attorney’s Office about the incidents, Street said.
Although the boy didn’t get to California — or even beyond the county line — his Lamborghini was a pipe dream, anyway, according to the troopers. He had only $3 in his wallet.