Maryland State Police break up multiple illegal car meet-ups
Maryland State Police break up multiple illegal car meet-ups
Maryland State Police have announced that they stopped more car meet-ups over the weekend. The news comes as officials have touted a law and task force to help them stop so-called exhibition driving. FOX 5's David Kaplan is live in Lanham with more on this latest bust and why this law has become an important tool for police.
MARYLAND - Maryland State Police have announced that they stopped more car meet-ups over the weekend.
The news comes as officials have touted a task force to help them stop so-called exhibition driving.
An ongoing problem:
These widespread car meet-ups is something police across the DMV have tried to stop.
In Maryland, they passed a law that's now 18 months old.
Police used to have issues with major intersections being overtaken with these drivers, and the latest trend is these drivers going into industrial parks.
What they're saying:
FOX 5 spoke to a man who works in a warehouse near a frequent car meet-up site. He deals with these rallies, making it tough for him to get to or leave work, and he's seen them closer to his home.
He says it's not uncommon for these rallies to happen in front of his work.
"I think they've got a schedule or something. So, I just see it every weekend or so. Like I'll be at work, and I'll just hear the skirting, and I'll just say 'ok, they're having a good time,’" Ricky Von Wergers said.
Big picture view:
In conjunction with nearby counties and Maryland State Police, Prince George’s County Police have created a task force to work together, share intelligence and stop these meet-ups.
"The law has been effective," said Prince George’s County assistant police chief George Nichols, Jr.
As of this weekend, they've stopped an average of 18 per month in Maryland, including stopping eight over the last weekend alone.
This past weekend, three people were arrested and charged with illegal possession of a loaded handgun, a 16-year-old, a 17-year-old, and a 23-year-old.
Dig deeper:
In the past, police have responded to shootings, and some have been deadly.
Assistant Chief Nichols says these meet-ups are public safety concerns not only because of the driving, but says police have found it's often a gateway to other criminal activity.
"The biggest thing that the chief is big on, and his vision is always root causes," Nichols said. "It's not attacking a symptom of something. It's getting down to the root cause and stopping it. So, of course, we prevent these car meetups and these rallies. We prevent something even worse from happening."
Police say their collaboration on this will absolutely continue. They're also asking for the public's help, giving tips to help prevent these from happening.