Canadian man gets a ticket after handing change to undercover cop disguised as a panhandler

[Regina police are going undercover to catch those who break traffic laws / CBC News]

A Good Samaritan in Regina, Sask., may think twice before extending a helping hand after receiving a ticket for giving spare change to a cop disguised as a panhandler.

Dane Rusk was given $175 traffic ticket for unbuckling his seatbelt at an intersection after seeing what he thought was a homeless man standing on the side of the road, reports CTV News.

Rusk reached out to the man holding a sign, unbuckling his seatbelt in the process, and gave the gentleman $3 from his pocket.

It was only moments later, however, that Rusk was pulled over by a police patrol car and issued a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt.

It turned out the panhandler was actually an undercover cop looking for traffic violations at busy intersections throughout the city.

Finding out his random act of kindness to someone he felt sorry for was landing him a traffic fine came as a shock for Rusk.

“The ticket’s $175 and the three dollars I gave to him – I’m out $178 all because I was trying to help out a homeless guy,” he said.

Regina police are defending the undercover program, however, saying it helps deal with traffic violations in key areas.

“Intersections are probably one of the most critical areas when it comes to accidents obviously, and our high-volume intersections are ones that we tend to target,” said Inspector Evan Bray.