Article contentAs protocol, before exiting his vehicle, Ingraham-Phillips said he called the Shubie radio dispatch service and told them the vehicle’s licence plate number.Article contentHe said he then exited his patrol vehicle and walked toward the van.Article content“I was about an arms-length away from Cape Travels Van #1 when the driver suddenly took off at a high rate of speed, passing other vehicles on the highway,” Ingraham-Phillips testified.Article contentHe did not pursue but returned to his patrol truck and contacted the dispatch service to tell them what happened, with the understanding that the radio dispatcher would alert the RCMP.Article contentThe RCMP responded but could not locate the van.Article contentLater in the morning, Ingraham-Phillips said he spoke with his colleague, Insp. MacNeil, and concluded that two Cape Travels vans were scheduled for a recheck at Midway Motors in Middle River on either Dec. 2 or Dec. 3.Article contentArticle contentContacting Midway Motors, Ingraham-Phillips learned that both vehicles had arrived there late that same morning, that one vehicle was being serviced on the hoist and the other was parked in the lot.Article content The RCMP were called to an incident involving a Cape Travels van in December 2024. Photo by FileArticle contentIngraham-Phillips met with two RCMP officers early that afternoon at Midway Motors and identified the van that fled the scene of his inspection stop near St. Peter’s. RCMP identified two men who had arrived at Midway Motors in the Cape Travel vans as the father of company owner Vansh Chopra and Karan Sedha.Article contentAn RCMP officer had the father of Vansh Chopra call his son on speaker phone.Article content“On the call, Vansh Chopra would not provide the name or any other information regarding who was driving Cape Travels Van #1 earlier in the day,” Ingraham-Phillips said.Article content“The RCMP officer explained to Vansh Chopra that Cape Travels Van #1 would be impounded if Vansh Chopra did not co-operate,” he said. The call ended and the RCMP ordered the van be towed and impounded.Article contentArticle content“Next, the RCMP officer ran Karan Sedha’s licence and discovered it was currently suspended, and that Karan Sedha also had several outstanding tickets,” Ingrham-Phillips said.Article contentA review of surveillance video at Midway Motors showed Sedha was driving the van when it arrived at the dealership and the RCMP charged him with driving while suspended.Article contentIn subsequent calls, Ingraham-Phillips said the company owner initially said Sedha was asleep in the van when it fled his roadside stop but eventually identified Sedha as the driver when it sped off.Article contentCape Travels leased the two vans in September 2024 but both failed vehicle inspections the following month.Article contentCape Travels admitted to falsely advertising its services on social media using their name and business logo, even though their vehicles were not properly inspected. Article content“It is unfortunate the licensee chose to mislead potential clients by doing so, but that is a matter outside the scope of this proceeding,” the board concluded.
Shuttle company shut down until January because of unlicensed van driver
