Maryland State Police apprehended a man accused of taking part in an illicit street takeover that resulted in the obstruction of traffic on a prominent Baltimore road last weekend.
A video shared on social media depicts a chaotic and unlawful car meetup spiraling out of control at the intersection of West North Avenue and Eutaw Place.
Latisha Howard, a resident of Baltimore, expressed her bewilderment at what drives people to take such risks, endangering the lives of others and their own.
A 26-year-old Pennsylvania man was apprehended by troopers for being in possession of a loaded gun.
Recently, law enforcement authorities in Prince George’s and Baltimore counties made four more arrests.
Cracking down on illegal street racing
Maryland law enforcement agencies, including the State Police, are taking strict measures to combat illegal car meetups.
According to Maryland State Police Spokesperson Elena Russo, law enforcement is taking a strong stance against these illicit takeovers, which they refer to as “illegal takeovers.”
Illegal car meetups have been causing chaos on the streets of Maryland for several years.
In 2023, there were over 130 incidents documented, with occurrences reported in both Baltimore City and Baltimore County.
In October of last year, a large-scale illegal car meetup took place in Baltimore County, causing a significant traffic congestion. This was followed by another incident in December, where participants of an illegal meetup were reported to have poured gasoline on the asphalt at a well-known shopping center in Southeast Baltimore.
Law enforcement agencies from all over the state have joined forces to establish a task force aimed at tackling these reckless driving exhibitions.
According to Russo, the formation of the Maryland Car Rally Task Force was driven by the need to take action against the alarming rise of large-scale illegal driving exhibition events that pose a significant threat to public safety.
The Maryland Car Rally Task Force has ramped up patrols in areas with high car rally activity.
Baltimore residents are hopeful that the task force will finally put an end to the illegal meetups that have been plaguing the city.
Howard suggested that it might be beneficial to focus more on observing the cameras and attempting to capture license plate information.
Stricter penalties
A new law in Maryland took effect in June, which increases the penalties for individuals involved in street racing or exhibition driving.
Participants will now be required to attend court hearings and may face a maximum prison sentence of one year. Additionally, fines have been increased to $1,000.