A Port Coquitlam man has been charged with fraud and his vehicle seized after he was spotted evading tolls on the Golden Ears Bridge.
In December 2014, an off duty Surrey RCMP officer was following a car headed towards Ridge Meadows across the Golden Ears Bridge from Surrey. No license plate was visible on the vehicle and this caught the officer’s attention.
“Officers are always looking for uninsured vehicles,” said Surrey RCMP spokesman Cpl. Scotty Schumann. “The officer was very surprised when he saw a valid B.C. license plate magically lift into place after they had passed the toll cameras.”
The officer was able to record the license plate number and started making enquiries.
Police were able to identify the registered owner and, later, the driver. Surrey RCMP followed the car one more time across the bridge and observed the plate being manipulated to avoid toll cameras. The car was stopped and the driver was arrested for fraud. Upon a search of the car, a cable system was located inside the vehicle which manipulated the license plate.
Gregory Murray, 49, was charged with two counts of fraud under $5,000 on Aug.6. In addition, his car, a 1993 Geo Metro, has also been seized. Police are applying to have the car forfeited to the Crown as offence-related property.
“Thousands of people cross the bridge daily with the vast majority paying their tolls. This serves as a reminder to anyone actively trying to defeat the toll system that it is a criminal offence and that you could lose your vehicle and face charges,” said Schumann.
