Dozens arrested in crackdown on street racing
Authorities arrested dozens of people and seized vehicles worth up to $150,000 in a two-month investigation into illegal street racing in Guilford and Forsyth counties.
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The crackdown focused on a popular street racing route that began on Main Street in High Point and went along U.S. Highway 311 to Winston-Salem.
"Street racing is extremely dangerous, and it places people's lives at risk when it occurs," Highway Patrol commander Col. Walter J. Wilson Jr. said. "Troopers have worked hard to keep the highways safe. We will not tolerate this kind of reckless endangerment on our highways."
Overnight, troopers seized 12 vehicles and served 45 arrest warrants against people ranging in age from 17 to 43, Capt. Everett Clendenin said.
The charges included prearranged racing, spontaneous racing, reckless driving, stop-sign violations and improper use of registration plates. A conviction for street racing, a misdemeanor, could take away a person's drivers license for three years.
The seized vehicles included Honda Civics, Ford Mustangs and Cobras, BMWs, Pontiacs and a Chevrolet Trail Blazer. Some vehicles had been modified for racing and ranged in value from $5,000 up to $150,000.
Clendenin said troopers plan to serve about 30 more warrants and seize 20 more vehicles next week.
They were continuing the investigation, working with confidential informants, and anticipate filing additional charges.
State troopers received information from citizens about the street racing in High Point, and launched an investigation, along with the Guilford County Sheriff's Office and North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement agency.
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