A Kiwi has been fined $204 by an "intimidating" Canadian police officer after he was spotted flicking sunflower seed shells out his sunroof.
Wellingtonian David Watt was driving through Winnipeg and snacking on sunflower seeds last week when he was pulled over by police for discarding the shells out his sunroof, CBC News reported.
He said he was pulled over, and approached by an "intimidating" officer.
"He said, 'Well, I pulled you over because you're littering. You're throwing things out of your sunroof'.
"I said it was a sunflower seed and he said it doesn't matter, it was litter."
Mr Watt told the website he had seeds in his mouth while he was being questioned, and when he spat them out, the officer became more frustrated.
"He said, 'What did I just tell you? Don't flick things out of the sunroof'."
The altercation ensued when Mr Watt realised he should call his friend and let them know he would be running late, CBC News reported.
"I got out of the vehicle and went to the front of my car. I didn't want to walk towards him like I was trying to intimidate him.
"Well he got out of the car, he's yelling at me, 'Get back into your car'.
"I told him I need to make a phone call and he said, 'You don't need to phone anybody; when the police stop you, you do not get out of your car'.
"He's just screaming at me. He was very, very intimidating and I couldn't believe it was over a sunflower seed."
Mr Watt was given a ticket and fined $204 (C$175).
The next day Mr Watt went to the local police station to contest the ticket, but was told once the ticket was written it could not be changed, CBC reported.
Mr Watt said he asked the sergeant on duty if sunflower seeds were considered litter.
"He said, 'I don't know what the officer saw so I can't comment'."
Mr Watt was given a date to appear in court and dispute the ticket, but when he went to the courthouse to try to change the date, as he would no longer be in the city, he was told it was not possible, CBC reported.
"Nobody can tell me if sunflower seeds are actually littering. I looked in the bylaw traffic act [and] it describes cigarette butts, nails, glass, something that could damage a vehicle or hurt a person. Those are all listed, but sunflower seeds aren't listed."
