MA Police Target Drag Racing Flash Mobs: Gov. Healey Touts Weekend Crackdown

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey touted the impact of the state's recent crackdown on what she called "illegal street takeovers" that involve social media meetups that include drag racing mobs, fireworks used as weapons and, in some cases, threats toward police officers and vehicles.

Healey last week said the state had a "zero-tolerance policy" toward the flash mobs and that she was directing additional State Police and local law enforcement resources toward disrupting the planned takeovers.

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She said during a news conference on Thursday that this past weekend those efforts led to 232 civil citations, 74 warnings, 20 criminal summons, seven arrests, 15 tows, two seizures under the Controlled Substances Act, and one stolen car recovery.

"These participants are ignoring lawful orders to disperse," she said on Thursday, "concealing their identities a lot of times with masks, acting aggressively at times toward police officers, and in some cases, deploying fireworks.

"This causes disorder. It causes damage to property — we've already seen that. It poses a real, significant threat to public safety and certainly harms public life in our neighborhoods and our communities."

Healey said on Thursday her administration was awarding an additional $14 million in safety grants to cities and towns to support traffic enforcement and stop illegal activity. Recipients of this funding
include more than 200 local police departments and 10 state agencies.

"We're going to double down on this work," Healey said. "It's important work. It's about quality of life in our communities."

A police car was destroyed two weeks ago when a crowd of more than 100 people who had taken over a Boston intersection attacked law enforcement vehicles in an incident that ended with two Rhode Island teens facing charges, authorities said.

Officers responded around 2:15 a.m. Sunday to Massachusetts Avenue and Tremont Street, where the crowd started throwing fireworks, cones, poles and other items at police cars, according to authorities. One cruiser was repeatedly hit with fireworks, which set it ablaze, and crowd members jumped on its hood, police said.

"I am going to continue to make my message clear to people," Healey said. "Whether they are from Massachusetts, or they are coming to Massachusetts, We've got zero tolerance for this stuff — zero tolerance. And, as shown by this past weekend's efforts, we'll find you and we'll hold you accountable."

Officials warned those organizing and taking part in the flash mobs that participation can lead to fines, license consequences, criminal charges and, when violence occurs, felony charges. Healey said one person who posted an invitation to a meetup was identified and arrested, while the flash mob itself was prevented.

"We had approximately 50 troopers out there working (Saturday night) and these troopers volunteered for this detail," State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said. "This is tough work. This is dangerous work.

"And they did it to an exceptional level. They were professional and they were very effective."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)