Md. State Police Shut Down Illegal Street Racing in Baltimore Co.
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- State police shut down illegal street racing on I-70 early Saturday morning, arresting one would-be participant.
Devin Bartolotta has more on the problem spot for drag racing that's at it again.
Police say there were dozens of cars at the Park and Ride on I-70 early this morning -- and had to be chased off twice.
At 2:00 a.m. Saturday, the Golden Ring Barrack received a call from a resident in the Woodlawn area with the report of illegal street racing behind their home.
The trooper responded and there were dozens of high-performance vehicles blocking traffic and setting up for street races in the area of westbound I-70 near the Park and Ride in Baltimore County.
Police tell WJZ Illegal street racing is nothing new in Baltimore, but continuing to cause issues in Woodlawn, both in safety concerns and in noise complaints from neighbors.
"This has been an ongoing occurrence for quite a while. And that is why we have our troopers regularly do patrol checks in the area," says Elena Russo, with Maryland State Police.
Police discovered dozens of high-performance cars lining I-70 in the early Saturday morning hours, stopping traffic and prepping for a race. But officers couldn't keep them away for long.
"The trooper came back an hour later to find that some of these street racers came back. They were gearing up for what looked to be another illegal street race," says Russo.
The trooper used his marked patrol car to get close to what appeared to be the starting line for the apparent race. He exited his vehicle and the crowd began to scatter and flee to their vehicles.
Officers arrested 42-year-old Keith Parker of Pasadena, Maryland, who was positioned at the start line, directing traffic was yelling to other participants in the area to run. Parker also attempted to run and failed to obey the commands of the trooper to stop. The trooper caught up to Parker as he attempted to get into his 2013 Dodge Charger with dealer registration plates.
Most of the complaints about races here come from residents -- some Woodlawn neighborhoods are still within earshot.
It's also highly dangerous. This is the same spot where 2 spectators were killed in 2009 by a drunk driver.
"They're having fun but they don't realize the implications to everybody around them," says area resident Garry Cerrone.
Parker's charges include unauthorized use of a dealer registration. State Police ask that neighbors stay vigilant about calling when these races start to occur.
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