Police: Street Racers Blocked Interstate 225 In Aurora Sunday Night
Download the new CBS Denver app to get all the latest news impacting people here in Colorado.
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) -- Aurora police say up to 800 vehicles were gridlocked on Interstate 225 Sunday night after street racers took over the highway.
It started at about 10 p.m.
"I-225 Southbound from Alameda to Colfax is gridlocked due to street racers blocking and interfering with traffic," the Aurora Police Department tweeted.
Authorities say they were unable to access the area because vehicles were intentionally blocking the shoulders of the interstate.
"There are reports of fireworks and smoke and weapons being waved," police warned. "Stay out of area while officers try to address the situation."
Officers were eventually able to clear the area, but warned that illegal street racing was likely to continue through the night.
"It is likely the group will continue engaging in street racing in various areas tonight to include the 33rd & Telluride area," police tweeted. "Officers continue to try to manage the situation."
We spoke to Aurora police early Monday morning and officials said they could not provide any information about tickets or citations at that time.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman expressed disappointment with the police department for not preventing the incident.
"It takes a lot of social media chatter to pull off an event like this so I absolutely don't understand how our Police Department didn't know that this was going to happen. What I need to know now is what they are going to do to make sure that it doesn't happen again," Mayor Coffman said.
"I expect more from our department and the residents of the City of Aurora expect more from our Department," Coffman said.