OTTAWA -- Ontario Provincial Police hit the brakes on a motorist going 161 km/h over the posted speed limit east of Ottawa.

The OPP says a car passed an officer travelling 271 km/h on Highway 417 east of Hawkesbury just before 12:30 a.m. Saturday.

“Rear tire blew seconds later,” the OPP said in a tweet.

The OPP says the driver is facing several charges, including stunt driving.

Under the Highway Traffic Act, police can issue a charge of stunt driving if the driver is going 50 km/h over the posted speed limit. A driver’s licence is suspended for seven days and the vehicle is impounded for one week.

In September, the Ontario Government increased the speed limit to 110 km/h on a section of Highway 417 east of Ottawa, from one kilometre east of Anderson Road to one kilometre west of the Ontario/Quebec border.