Man Pulled Over for Drunk Driving, His Son Makes Surprising Intervention

Wait until you hear what the boy told the police

Silhouette of a police officer in front of a squad car. (Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images)

A 7-year-old boy pleaded with the police to let his father go after he was stopped at a police check point for drunk driving. However, the father’s unreasonable and rude behavior towards the police caused him to be detained and fined.

The driver was pulled over by police in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, China on the evening of May 13 for intoxicated driving and having seven passengers in a car that only had five seats, according to Chinese online media outlet Pear Videos.

Footage from a surveillance video shows the father, who was not named, arguing with the three police officers, while his wife and son attempted to intervene.

“Dad, stop making a scene!” the boy shouts as he and his mother stood together, talking to the father.

“Officers, we’re sorry,” the boy says, and he bows toward the officers.

The video shows the man’s wife speaking to one of the officers in a gentle tone. The woman may have been attempting to persuade the police to let them go, as many run-ins with Chinese police are solved with bribes, and corruption is almost a given in that line of duty.

At the same time, the boy pushed his father away from the conversation, then ran over to the officer.

“[I] recommend you go back,” the officer says to the woman.

“We will take him back, uncle officer!” the boy says in the video. “Uncle officer” is a title that children often use to refer to police officers.

“No!” the driver says loudly.

“Don’t talk anymore,” the boy says as he turns to his father, jumping up and down.

The police did not report the driver’s blood alcohol level (BAC), but China’s legal levels are lower than those in the United States. In China, a BAC of 0.02% is considered drunk driving, whereas in the United States it is 0.08%.

“We won’t take too may passengers again!” the boy says, once again pleading with the officer. “We also won’t let him drink anymore,” the boy said.  But the officer ignores the child.

After speaking aggressively to the adults, the officer gets into the driver’s seat to take the car away.

The driver then curses at the officer as he sits in the car.

“Uncle officer, [we’re] sorry,” the boy says, bowing toward the officer, not giving up his pleas.

However, the boy’s father continues to make a scene with the police. He sits down in front of his car, leans against the bumper, and says “Crush me!”

One of the officers points at the man, nearly shouting that he’s out of line. The man continues arguing, insisting that he won’t get up. He is eventually carried away by four police officers.

The driver was detained for seven days and fined a total of 500 yuan ($70).