4 Maryland Men Arrested In Crackdown On Exhibition Driving Events

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Two men from Prince George's have been charged for their role in exhibition driving events held across Maryland.

Since June 2024, the Maryland Car Rally task force has focused on investigating exhibition driving events, knowns as takeovers. These illegal activities involve blocking public roads for doing stunts, disrupting traffic, damaging property and more.

On Aug. 25, members with the Maryland Car Rally Task Force were working with the Maryland State Police Special Operations Division, the Baltimore Regional Auto Theft Task Force and local law enforcement in the area of North Avenue and Eutaw Place in Baltimore. Participants in the unlawful exhibition event attempted to take over the intersection.

While police tried to break up the crowd, investigators saw a man running toward a Volkswagen Golf with Pennsylvania tags with what appeared to be a gun. He got into the backseat of the vehicle. A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle and the man, later identified as Jose Manual Zapata, 26, of Pennsylvania was arrested on scene without incident. He's been charged with loaded handgun on person, handgun on person, handgun in vehicle and loaded handgun in vehicle.

The Maryland Car Rally Task Force and its law enforcement partners also charged the following individuals:

• Dylan Reyes, 23, of Laurel – disorderly conduct, riot
• Jamal Mayo, 19, of Silver Spring – disorderly conduct, riot, fireworks discharge without permit, fireworks possession without permit, riot
• Irvin Leonidas Campos Solanos, 25 of Baltimore – vehicle theft (active warrant from Delaware)
• Jordan Kenyatta Okubo, 20, of Temple Hills – operating vehicle on highway with unauthorized window tinting material, failure of motor vehicle operator to present evidence of required security on request of a law enforcement officer, modifying exhaust on motor vehicle causing excessive noise emission, failure of driver to drive to curb upon signal by police vehicle, use lamps on motor vehicle, changing original design, owner failure to maintain required security for vehicle during registration period, knowingly driving uninsured vehicle.