Driver charged after tossing ticket at Gander officer

A central Newfoundland driver is facing a criminal charge after he crumpled up a parking ticket and threw it at a bylaw enforcement officer.

The RCMP said it happened after the driver was asked to move his car out of a fire lane in Gander Thursday.

"When the driver was asked to identify himself, he refused to provide identification, became very obnoxious, crumpled up the ticket and threw the ticket back at the bylaw officer," the RCMP said in a statement Friday.

"He then drove away without identifying himself to the officer as required."

The driver was eventually stopped by a RCMP officer and arrested for a criminal code offence.

Sgt. Boyd Merrill said it's not unusual for law enforcement officers to encounter people with short tempers during the Christmas season.

"You have a lot of stress over getting to the stores, getting back home on time," Merrill told CBC News.

"People are short tempered when they are driving, they're short-tempered during the traffic holdup."

The driver has been instructed to appear in provincial court at a later date on a charge of obstructing a peace officer.

RCMP said the incident is a reminder that drivers should never park in fire lanes, and that they should not "escalate a simple parking ticket into a criminal offence."