Crime & Safety
60 Cars Seized By CMPD In Street Racing Crackdown
Police are taking aim at street racers and the spectators who watch them with stiff penalties, including vehicle seizures.
CHARLOTTE, NC — Charlotte metro drivers dreaming of recreating a scene out of one of the Fast & Furious movies should probably think again. In the past six months, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has seized 60 vehicles and issued more than 3,500 citations during a crackdown on illegal street racing.
The operation began last October, after police received complaints about the growing trend of street racing and aggressive driving around the metro, CMPD said.
"This behavior transcended minor traffic violations and rose to the level of creating a great public safety threat, so the CMPD immediately began to develop a strategy to address the issue," the department said in a statement.
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Much of the activity, police learned, was occurring in north Charlotte near Interstate 485 and Prosperity Church Road. Officers would sometimes find hundreds of vehicles gathered at a location, waiting to participate.
CMPD said examples of the activity in Charlotte could be seen here and here.
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During the sting, CMPD's identification of suspects led to Grand Jury indictments of 54 suspects on the charge of pre-arranged racing — a charge that authorizes the seizure of the vehicle used in the offense, CMPD said.
As of Thursday morning, 51 suspects had been charged and 60 vehicles seized, CMPD said.
The crack down also led to more than 2,500 traffic stops and the issuing of more than 3,500 citations, which included:
- Speeding — 2,100 charges
- Reckless driving — 400 charges
- Driving while impaired — 32 charges
- Spontaneous racing violations — 10 charges
Spectators of the illegal races are also at-risk, police said.
Any owner of a vehicle determined to be present at the illegal races will receive a warning letter from CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings saying that their involvement in the activity could result into an investigation into them and their vehicle.
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