More than a dozen arrested during street racing crackdown in Twin Cities
More than a dozen people were arrested and many more received tickets during a crackdown on street racing in the Twin Cities at the weekend.
Instances of street racing have been on the rise all year, with reported incidents starting to come in early on during the pandemic.
This past weekend, it sparked a joint operation involving several metro area police departments – including Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park and Champlin, the Hennepin and Ramsey County Sheriff's Offices, and the Minnesota State Patrol.
The Saturday crackdown resulted in 62 traffic stops, 27 tickets being issued, and 14 arrests being made.
According to the Brooklyn Park Police Department, seven of the arrests were for weapons offenses, with others for DWI, child endangerment, auto theft, and some misdemeanors.
Police also recovered four guns, along with one stolen vehicle.
"The goal of this operation is to target offenses related to illegal street racing that put residents at risk," the police department said.
"Street racing happens metro wide, however, we plan to continue to do all we can to keep our roads and community safe."
The crackdown came a week after a video spread online showing a large crowd on Washington Avenue in Minneapolis watching street racing, with some of the crowd members surrounding, kicking, and throwing objects at a police squad car that responded to the scene, per KARE 11.
Note: Some of the details provided in this story are based on the police's latest version of events, and may be subject to change.