Arrest operation jails 2nd man suspected of organizing Pierce County street racing events
Another 19-year-old man suspected of organizing street racing events in Pierce and King counties was arrested Friday evening, according to Tacoma police.
He is at least the fourth man to be jailed this year on suspicion of organizing street racing events in Pierce County.
Police said he was arrested at a Pierce County residence at about 9 p.m. as part of a joint arrest operation between the Tacoma Police Department, Kent Police Department and the Washington State Patrol that also took a man into custody Thursday in Algona.
Street racing events often involve large groups of people blocking off intersections or taking over warehouse parking lots. Spectators look on while cars spin in circles, sometimes drifting dangerously close to onlookers.
The events can be a nuisance for drivers trying to get through or for nearby residents. At a March Tacoma City Council meeting, Mayor Victoria Woodards recounted a story from a Tacoma resident who described an hours-long Eastside street racing event that ended only after neighbors went outside “and shot guns in the air.”
Tacoma police have been conducting emphasis patrols for street racing events since January, and efforts by multiple law enforcement agencies around Puget Sound have led to at least four arrests this year of suspected organizers. The men, all between the ages of 18 and 20, were suspected of organizing events in Pierce and King counties.
Two other men, both 22, were arrested in June on suspicion of taking part in intersection takeovers and drifting events multiple times.
KIRO 7 reported in April that a Pierce County task force had made 28 arrests for street racing. A representative for Tacoma police did not immediately have updated numbers available Saturday.
The two 19-year-olds arrested this week were described by police as “prolific” organizers. Kent police developed probable cause to make the arrest Friday night on suspicion of 17 charges, including four counts of reckless driving, four counts of reckless endangerment, four counts of disorderly conduct, three counts of unlawful race attendance, obstructing a police officer and failure to disperse, a news release from the Tacoma Police Department said. The suspect was booked into the Kent Corrections Facility.
Police said multiple charges related to street racing events he is suspected of organizing in Tacoma have been forwarded to the Tacoma City Attorney’s office for filing.
