Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Touts Crackdown On Drag Racing
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office says they, in addition to several other law enforcement partners, cracked down once again on drag racers in downtown Minneapolis and surrounding areas.
Multiple times over recent months, video has shown reckless driving and cars doing burnouts in the Twin Cities, including earlier this month, where video on social media showed the intersection of Washington and 3rd avenues in the North Loop neighborhood filled with cars, and drivers doing donuts and burnouts.
In that Oct. 10-11 incident, the Minneapolis Police Department said officers were met with hostile and aggressive behavior, with rocks and bottles being thrown at them. Police spokesperson John Elder says one squad car was damaged.
"The fact of the matter is that these people are creating a dangerous environment that threatens the safety of others while damaging property. This is a pattern of behavior that has plagued cities across the metro, especially this summer," Elder said.
On Saturday, the county sheriff's office said they had made 59 traffic stops, arrested 15 people, issued 21 citations and recovered nine firearms.
"To be clear, these are NOT joyriders. They're extremely dangerous and highly destructive," the sheriff's office said.
In addition to Minneapolis and St. Paul police and Hennepin County deputies, officers with Metro Transit, the State Patrol, Brooklyn Park Police, and the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department were all involved in the crackdown.
