Atlanta police chief, mayor share details of weekend street-racing arrests

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - When other jurisdictions contacted the Atlanta Police Department early Sunday morning to warn them that street racers might be headed into the city, every officer on duty jumped into action.

The drivers, according to police, were being particularly aggressive.

“Not only were they taking over intersections, but they were also firing fireworks at police officers,” said Interim Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. “They were being very aggressive toward other law enforcement agencies and were attempting to disrupt them.”

On Tuesday, Schierbaum joined Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to share with the public how it ended.

“Right behind me over my shoulder, you will see a car that we impounded over the weekend,” said Dickens.

The driver of the red Dodge Challenger, according to police, thought he got away from officers, but a citizen later called with the location of where the driver had hidden it. Police also impounded nine other vehicles.

Atlanta police arrested ten alleged participants: five who were inside cars and five others for taking videos. They also arrested two parents of juveniles for curfew violations.

“And I’ll tell you what, when you look at the chaos you see in those videos, for the men and women of this department to get ten vehicles, I’m very proud of them,” said Schierbaum, adding that the arrests wouldn’t have happened without Atlanta’s growing network of public and citizen-owned cameras along with calls from citizens and a strong collaboration between police departments in the region.

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“I want to make sure I send a clear message,” said Dickens. “If you engage in street racing in the city of Atlanta, you will go to jail and your car will be impounded. And if you’re out there watching and filming individuals that are engaging in street racing, we will also arrest you, too.”

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