Members of the public confiscated the keys of a Dunedin man after they saw him driving dangerously through Queenstown.
Motorists made five separate complaints to the *555 line as Mackenzie Allan Haugh (21) drove from Fernhill into the town centre about 3.15pm on Saturday.
Sergeant Mark Gill, of Queenstown, said a ''grossly intoxicated'' Haugh was seen driving ''erratically'' down Fernhill Rd, crashing into a parked vehicle. He then drove along Lake Esplanade on the wrong side of the road.
After Haugh stopped his car in Camp St, a group of Queenstown residents took the keys from the ignition.
Although police did not approve of such actions, in this case the confiscation ''probably prevented him killing himself or somebody else''.
Sgt Gill said he recorded a breath-alcohol level of 1097mcg.
Haugh, a labourer, was charged with dangerous driving, drink-driving and resisting a constable. He was remanded at large by a registrar in the Queenstown District Court yesterday. He is due to appear in the Dunedin District Court on Friday.
