A 5-year-old boy in Utah was pulled over Monday while trying to drive to California — to buy a Lamborghini.
At about 12:15 p.m., a highway patrol trooper was trying to catch up to a speeder on southbound Interstate 15 in Ogden when he came across what he initially thought was an impaired driver or someone experiencing a medical emergency traveling at 32 mph in a 70 mph zone, Lt. Nick Street told BuzzFeed News.
"There’s a curve in the road and he was kind of having a hard time making the curve," Street said.
The trooper initiated a traffic stop, and when he approached the vehicle he found a small boy on the verge of tears, sitting on the edge of the seat with both feet on the brake pedal.
After the trooper helped him put the car in gear and turn off the engine, the boy told him he was 5 years old and that he had left home to drive to California because he wanted to buy a Lamborghini.
"He might have been short on the purchase amount, as he only had $3 dollars in his wallet," the Utah Highway Patrol tweeted.
A dash camera video of the traffic stop shows a light colored compact SUV driving slowly down the interstate, moving across lanes without using any turning signals, before the trooper turns on his siren.
After the car pulls over onto the left shoulder, the officer exits his vehicle then appears to help the child park and turn off the engine. He returns to his car and then walks back to the SUV and asks the boy some questions.
"How old are you? You’re 5 years old? Wow, OK," the trooper says. "Where did you learn how to drive a car?"
The boy's answers are inaudible in the video.
Street said the agency's tweet incorrectly stated that the boy, who was not identified, had left home after an argument with his mom. The boy's parents were both at work at the time and an older sibling in their teens was supposed to be babysitting him when he grabbed the car keys and left.
"He was determined to go get a Lamborghini with the money he had in his wallet," Street said. "Apparently, he didn't realize you can get one in Utah."
The boy ultimately was only able to drive a few miles from home.
Street said the agency was in communication with the county attorney to determine whether any charges should be filed against the boy's parents, but noted that based on the boy's emotional state at the traffic stop, there's "a good chance this won't reoccur."