Montreal man was given $149 ticket after singing while driving

On Sept. 27, Taoufik Moalla was on his way to buy a bottle of water, happily singing along to C+C Music Factory’s 1990 song “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” when he says he heard a police siren blaring behind him.

He said, “I was thinking they wanted to pass, but they called on the speaker- ‘Please go to the right side'.I stopped and four police came, two on each side, and checked the inside of the car. Then they asked me if I screamed. I said, ‘No, I was just singing.’

Moalla said police checked his license and registration and then came back with a $149 dollar surprise, a ticket for screaming in public. According to a Montreal bylaw, “to cause disorder by screaming” violates “peace and tranquility” and can be punishable by a fine of $50 to $1,000 for a first offence and $100 to $2,000 for subsequent infractions.

Moalla’s wife, however, said she wasn’t surprised that her husband’s vocals netted him a fine.