JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A crackdown on illegal street racing across Jacksonville has led to dozens of arrests.
Action News Jax first told you about a big street racing bust on Lem Turner Road back in May, which was part of an overall street racing deployment that police have been conducting over the past few months.
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JSO told us Thursday afternoon that at least 36 people, including two minors, have been arrested over the past few months, with hundreds of tickets given out.
JSO said the sting in May, which involved multiple agencies, deterred a lot of illegal activity. That night, more than 200 citations were handed out, as were several arrests and fines.
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Some cars were even impounded.
The parking lot of Roses, where the sting took place, is still covered with tire tracks.
JSO said hundreds of people gathered there in May. Cars were doing burnouts and drifts, two things that are considered very dangerous.
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Passengers were hanging out of cars while the driver floored it in circles.
JSO said Thursday while the sting helped deter more large meetups, officers are still seeing illegal activity.
Here’s the breakdown:
- 631 citations to date
- $92,510 in traffic fines
- 36 people arrested
- 7 guns taken
- 13 cars taken
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JSO Assistant Chief Jamie Eason said a lot of tickets came from spectatorship.
“If you’re out there and you’re actually watching these meet ups and these racing and you’re taking video of it, you’ve now become a spectator of illegal activity,” Eason said. “And if you’re a passenger in a vehicle and you’re racing and that car gets pulled over, you also will get a ticket”
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JSO said others were arrested during the deployment for charges that did not pertain to street racing and shared the following statement with Action News Jax:
“Some individuals on the board were arrested for firearms or narcotics charges while others were arrested on outstanding warrants/capias, but each individual pictured was contacted, and arrested, during the racing deployment. For example, if a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle during the deployment and one of the passengers had an active arrest warrant, that arrest was included on the board as the arrest was made as a result of the deployment. The display boards account for 7 firearms that were recovered as well as narcotics. The individuals who were arrested for those items were included on the board; their arrests would not necessarily reflect charges related to racing unless they were applicable as well.”
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