Canadian driver could face charges for intentionally splashing pedestrians




A Canadian van driver has been fired from his job and may face criminal charges after he was caught on camera intentionally driving into puddles to soak pedestrians.

A video of the unnamed man's erratic driving went viral within days of being posted on YouTube, prompting his company – Black & McDonald in Ottawa, Ontario – to publicly announce that he had been let go.

"We apologize to everyone impacted by the recent incident in Ottawa of unacceptable driving by one of our van drivers," the Canadian contractor company wrote on Facebook on Sunday.

"We want to reassure the public that safety is our #1 priority. This is an isolated incident and the individual is no longer employed with Black & McDonald," the statement added.

In the 45-second video, recorded on July 27 by another car's rear-facing dashboard camera, the driver is seen swerving into huge puddles by the curb and dousing four of the five pedestrians walking on the sidewalk.

The driver had little chance of getting away with the prank after the video went public, considering both the license plate and company logo can be clearly seen.

Authorities in the Canadian capital city said the force of the water could have harmed the pedestrians, and the driver could face criminal charges of mischief and assault.

"There's no doubt it was deliberate," Ottawa Police Sgt. Mark Gatien told the Ottawa Citizen.

The YouTube video has been viewed nearly 1.3 million times since it was posted Friday.