Multiple drivers charged after allegedly doing doughnuts for hundreds of spectators in Etobicoke

Toronto police have charged a number of people after drivers were allegedly seen doing doughnuts at an intersection in Etobicoke Sunday morning as hundreds of spectators watched.

Police said they became aware of reportsof around 300 vehicles blocking the Dixon Road and Carlingview Drive intersection in Etobicoke.

Toronto police spokesperson David Hopkinson said police were called to the area around12:30a.m. for stunt driving.

Whenofficersarrived less than 10 minutes later,Hopkinson said most cars were seen leaving north and southbound fromthe intersection.

Officers described seeing about 150 cars in the area, Hopkinsonsaid, adding that he's not sure if those were cars were involved in the incident or just driving by.

"There were a number of charges laid [but there were] no vehicle impounds from this event," he told CBC News.

"They were investigated and charged," he said, adding that no arrests were made.

It was not immediately clear the exact number of people charged.

Police see increase in stunt driving, speeding

The incident is emblematic of a trend seen in several cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With fewer cars on the road, police in Toronto, York, Hamilton and other cities across Canada have reported an uptick in both speeding and stunt driving.

Hopkinson told CBC Toronto thatquieter roads "givepeople the opportunity to drive faster" and haveresulted in a "significant" increase in instances of stunt driving.

Ontario Provincial Police officers say they have seen a 30 per cent increase in stunt driving chargeswhen compared to this time last year, according to Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, spokesperson for the OPP's Highway Safety Division.

"There's some drivers that take advantage of open roads, thinking it's their personal racetrack ... certainly not sharing the road as they should be," Schmidt said.

Schmidt says speeding itself can beclassified as stunt driving ifa vehicle is going50kilometres per hour or more above the speed limit.

Anyone charged with a stunt driving offence is subject to a seven-day licence suspension and seven-day vehicle impound, Schmidt said.

The maximum penalties alsoinclude a $10,000 fine, sixmonths in prison, and two years of an additional license suspension.