California

Police Catch Driver Using Mannequin to Drive in Carpool Lane

The driver told police he would have to accept he needed to sit in traffic like everyone else.

When a Brea police officer pulled up next to a truck driving in a carpool lane Wednesday, he was surprised to find a mannequin sitting shotgun.

Brea police wrote in a Facebook post that a motorcycle officer spotted the pickup truck around 5 p.m. while traveling northbound on the 57 Freeway in heavy traffic.

When the truck "suddenly veered out of the carpool" or HOV lane and came close to the police officer, the officer rode up to the driver's open window to advise him to drive more carefully while changing lanes, according to Brea police.

"He was surprised to see that the passenger in the vehicle was actually a mannequin," Brea police wrote in the post, adding that it was a first for their department.

From the picture, the mannequin seemed like it was missing some of its appendages, and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

Brea police tweeted out the photo Thursday, and said, "Nice try," in the post.

The officer pulled over the driver and gave him a ticket for driving alone in the carpool lane, police wrote in the post.

"The driver admitted to having done this for quite some time," Brea police added. He told police "he would now just accept the fact he needed to sit in traffic like everyone else."

[2016 UPDATED 12/20] 2016 Southern California Year in Photos

Contact Us