One Florida Sheriff is cracking down on illegal street racing which has led to dozens of arrests in recent months.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday afternoon that at least 36 people, including two minors, were arrested over the past few months, with hundreds of tickets issued.
JSO said the sting in May, which involved multiple agencies, deterred a lot of illegal activity. That night, more than 200 citations were issued, as were several arrests, summons to appear and huge fines.
JSO says some vehicles were impounded.
“The parking lot of Roses, where the sting operation took place, is still covered with rubber tire marks,” said JSO.
According to deputies, hundreds of people gathered there in May. Cars were doing burnouts and drifts, two things that are considered extremely dangerous, investigators say.
Passengers were observed hanging out of vehicles while the driver floored it and was doing circles.
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JSO said Thursday while the sting helped deter large meetups, officers are still seeing illegal activity across the city.
Here’s the breakdown:
- 631 citations to date
- $92,510 in traffic fines
- 36 people arrested
- 7 guns taken
- 13 cars taken
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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