- This guy’s one happy camper, whether he’s under arrest or not.
In all of our lives, there comes a time when we do something incredibly stupid. When that happens, you have two options — try to save face and often make yourself into an even bigger clown, or own up and admit you were pretty dumb.
Kasper Lincoln chose the latter path.
The Canadian man was recently arrested for a drunken hijink. After some drinks with a friend, he left to go to a nearby gas station.
Instead of walking, he decided to hop into his buddy’s kid’s pink Barbie Jeep and drive to the store.
The sight of Lincoln cruising down the sidewalk in his battery-powered toy car amused onlookers. However, the joy ride ended when Lincoln strayed onto the highway.
A police car pulled up and the officers arrested Lincoln. Onlookers and social media users have questioned whether the cops were overreacting. They’ve defended the arrest stating Lincoln was operating a vehicle under influence and that’s against the law — even if the vehicle is a Barbie car.
Although he plans to fight the drunk driving charges, Lincoln doesn’t blame the police for arresting him. He recognized what he did was dumb, and he’s having a good time with the jokes and memes people are making about him.
Unusual Ride
Kasper Lincoln lives in Prince George, a city in British Columbia. On September 5, he and his friend had drunk a couple of brews, and had gotten slightly intoxicated thereof.
Suddenly, the duo developed a craving for a slushie. They set out to venture to a nearby gas station to acquire their half-frozen treat.
However, Lincoln “got lazy” and didn’t feel like walking. So, he decided to borrow his roommate’s child’s electric Barbie Jeep.
“I never drove it before,” Lincoln joked with CBC News.
With his toy vehicle, Lincoln began cruising down the sidewalk next to one of Prince George’s busy main roads. His friend walked alongside him, but the public’s eyes were firmly on Lincoln.
You can’t blame them. The sight of a grown, bearded man with aviator sunglasses on his head driving a bright pink toy Jeep must’ve been hilarious.
Sir, Exit the Vehicle with Your Hands Up
Initially, Lincoln was driving rather safely, despite his buzzed state and unconventional vehicle. He stuck to the sidewalks and gave clear hand signals before turning to alert other road users of his intentions.
Soon, however, he hit a bit of roadwork. With the sidewalk unusable, he had no choice but to stray onto the highway.
That attracted the attention of an unmarked police car that happened to be driving by. The cops flashed their lights and pulled Lincoln over.
The cops gave Lincoln a breathalyzer test and discovered that he was inebriated. They also found out that Lincoln’s driver’s license had been suspended, and he was unable to produce insurance and registration for his vehicle.
Yes, the toy Jeep.
That was enough for the cops to inform Lincoln that they were placing him under arrest. After the man decided to hit his vape despite having been told to keep his hands in place, they further placed Lincoln in handcuffs.
‘Happy as a Clam’
Many onlookers who had been amused by Lincoln’s Barbie ride, protested his arrest at the scene. Once his story went viral online, social media users joined the uproar.
“We were just kind of watching him living his best life,” Andrea Stirgard, a postal worker who saw Lincoln’s Barbie Jeep and his arrest, said.
“He was just happy as a clam. We were actually kind of jealous,” she added.
However, the police state (and traffic lawyers agree) Lincoln’s arrest was warranted. After all, Canadian law prohibits both driving an unlicensed vehicle and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
The law, however, doesn’t state that the rules apply only to grown-up cars. Lincoln’s pink Jeep was a vehicle — an unlicensed one at that — and he was drunk while driving it.
“You are required to have a driver’s license in British Columbia if you’re operating any motorized vehicle on the roadway,” said Kyle Lee, a traffic violation lawyer from Vancouver.
“That includes Barbie cars, toy cars, electric skateboards — anything like that. … Toy cars constitute motor vehicles if they are powered by some sort of an engine,” she summarized.
Additionally, the police cite safety risks of Lincoln taking his ride onto the road. According to them, most drivers won’t be expecting a grown man in a little pink Barbie car to suddenly show up in front of them, which is dangerous to everyone.
Just Doing Their Jobs
There is one person who’s not up in arms about Lincoln getting arrested for his Barbie Jeep escapade, however. That’s the man himself.
He has said that he plans to dispute his traffic ticket. His main defense seems to be that he had no clue that he was breaking any law — and that he was being a very safe Barbie driver, all things considered.
“I was using the hand signals and everything,” said Lincoln.
Still, he doesn’t blame the police for taking him off the road, or even handcuffing him. The way he sees it, they were just doing their jobs.
It’s not like this is his first arrest, either. He has been taken into custody before, but Lincoln feels this particular instance was “the most hilarious one.”
Lincoln also said the cop performing the arrest was very agreeable.
“He was really nice. He was filling out all of this paperwork, saying, ‘This is my first time!’” Lincoln laughed.
What’s more, he is enjoying his 15 minutes of fame after his story broke on social media. His friends and family keep sending him jokes and memes people are posting online, and Lincoln is having a blast with them.
All that said, he has learned something from his adventure.
“Don’t drink and drive,” Lincoln said. Even if your ride is a pink Barbie Jeep.