Cabbie drives alleged anti-mask passenger straight to police station

When a drunk taxi passenger refused to wear a mask, touched the driver's face and ignored requests to follow COVID-19 safety rules as the New Year began, the cabbie changed course and dropped the man off at police headquarters in Victoria, officers say.

The taxi driver called 911 at about 1 a.m. PT Friday to report the belligerent passenger, according to a release from the Victoria Police Department.

The driver then drove to the police station at 850 Caledonia Ave., where officers from the patrol and traffic sections were waiting to greet the passenger.

Police allege the man refused to leave the vehicle and had to be removed by the officers before he was taken into custody.

The suspect, whom police have not named, received three tickets for $230 each under B.C.'s COVID-19 Related Measures Act for failing to wear a face mask, behaving in an abusive or belligerent way and failing to comply with the direction of an officer.

$690 in fines

The$690 in fines marks the largest total of COVID-related fines handed out by the department to date.

The man was also ticketed for public intoxication.

Victoria police say they received more than a dozen reports about parties in people's homes or hotel rooms on New Year's Eve.

They say they broke up a number of those parties and reminded those involved about the public health orders restricting social gatherings to the members of your household.