Court Rules Against 6 Drag Racers, Orders Drivers To Forfeit Cars
DETROIT (WWJ) - Six drivers in Wayne County have been ordered to turn over the keys to the vehicles they used to drag race down Detroit area streets.
Chief Judge Virgil Smith delivered the ruling Thursday afternoon in Wayne County Circuit Court, saying the evidence against the defendants "was overwhelming"
Smith said the six vehicles were seized during "chaotic scenes" at the intersections of Fort and Woodmere streets, and also at Warren and Livernois Avenue, in late July.
Those six vehicles include:
• 1997 Ford Mustang (owner appeared in court and stated her son was drag racing in the vehicle)
• 1988 Fort Mustang (owner did not contest forfeiture)
• 1984 Chevy S-10 (Redford Township owner outfitted vehicle with nitrous oxide)
• 1996 Cadillac (River Rouge owner stated her son was drag racing in the vehicle)
• 1994 Chevy Camaro (Owner stated her son was drag racing in the vehicle, investigators also witnessed car doing donuts with a passenger hanging out of the car)
• 2001 Ford Mustang (Detroit owner stated his girlfriend's son took the car without permission to drag race)
"(Wednesday's) rulings will go a long way to show we are serious about ending this nonsense. Drag racing is dangerous, it threatens lives and ruins the peace that hardworking citizens deserve in their neighborhoods," Sheriff Benny Napoleon said in a statement. "These defendants have had to relinquish their cars because of their actions and if the drag racing continues, they won't be alone."
Napoleon stressed that "street racing is illegal and terrorizes citizens who are subjected to the chaos and violence that come with it."
In the last year, police say two people have been fatally shot, two officers wounded by gunfire and many others hurt in crashes associated with drag racing. In addition to the violence, officers say they've made arrests on narcotics, morality and weapons violations.
Detroit police say confiscated vehicles may be auctioned off to support ongoing narcotics and law enforcement operations for the agency.
If illegal street racing is occurring in your neighborhood, call the Wayne County Sheriff's Office tip line anonymously at 313-833-3190.
