One of 13 young people whose luxury cars were seized after an alleged street race last year has had his driving prohibition thrown out in a judge's decision slamming the "arbitrary" and "unreasonable" punishment.

Cheng Jie Wang was driving a 2007 Ferrari 599 on Aug. 31 when witnesses reported seeing more than a dozen high-end sports cars zooming along Highway 99 near the Massey Tunnel. He was pulled over by police, handed a violation ticket, and later received a letter informing him that his licence would be suspended for a year.

But Wang decided to appeal that suspension, and won out in court last week, earning police and the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles a scolding in B.C. Supreme Court.

Justice Mark McEwan wrote that the police officer was relying on hearsay when he give Wang a ticket, and the superintendent was wrong to issue a driving ban based on that scanty evidence.

"The officer, in the first instance, and the superintendent, in turn were, more than a little ahead of themselves here," McEwan said.

"It is still the law ... that we sanction people for what we can prove they have done, not for what we suspect they may have been a part of; nor do we substitute arbitrariness for due process because the public is in an ‘uproar.'"

According to court document, Const. A.D. Lichtmann wrote to the superintendent in September and explained that Wang was one of 13 people pulled over after numerous witnesses called police to report seeing a group of Lamborghinis, Maseratis and other pricey cars weaving in and out of traffic, coming to sudden stops and speeding up to 200 kilometres an hour.

"Since this story hit the news the public has been in an uproar over the actions of these drivers, many of which are still in their teens," Lichtmann wrote.

"Police feel that a very strong message needs to be sent that driving on British Columbia's roadways is a privilege and not a right and that this privilege comes with rules and obligations."

The Mountie asked for Wang to be prohibited from driving "for a considerable length of time," and was rewarded with an order that the young man hand over his licence.

But the judge pointed out that the officer had not provided any real evidence suggesting that Wang was driving irresponsibly.

"There is no specific information tying any vehicle of any specific description or licence number to any specific act," McEwan wrote.

"At most there is a circumstantial case that he was part of a group of motorists about whom unidentified callers made generalized complaints."

The justice also reprimanded Lichtmann for making an end run around the proper process by writing directly to the superintendent.

"It should have been obvious to a trained officer that more investigation would be required to have reasonable grounds that an offence had been committed by Mr. Wang, let alone to prove the offence to the requisite standard," McEwan said.

Wang is also disputing his ticket for driving without consideration, and that matter has yet to be heard. If he is convicted, the superintendent will be able to reconsider the driving prohibition.

A second young man pulled over as part of the same group, Yim Kwan Kot, also filed an appeal of his driving prohibition on the same grounds, and the judge wrote that he would likely rule in the same way in that case.

However, Kot's appeal was out of time by one day, and McEwan adjourned his hearing for 60 days to give him time to decide whether to argue that the court should exercise its discretion and hear his case.