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Downtown Orlando residents say street racing is getting out of control
Downtown Orlando residents are not happy about hearing loud street racing while they are trying to sleep.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Downtown Orlando residents are not happy about hearing loud street racing while they are trying to sleep.
It's a quiet night, but over the weekend neighbors said a major intersection was blocked as a group of street racers took over the road. "Sounded like they were racing, full-blown like you’re at NASCAR they were cranking it," said Joe Gibson.
Orlando police say around 15 drivers took over the road late Saturday night on South Summerlin Ave. and East Anderson St., blocking the intersection and doing donuts. "You can hear the cars when they're doing spins in the entire intersection, and then they speed off like bolts of lightning," said Heath Stevens.
According to neighbor Curtis Turner, the street racers are there all the time. "It’s like an ongoing thing every weekend," he added. "I see the police stop a few of them, but it’s not consistent."
According to an arrest report, the Orlando Police Dept. cracked down on the crowd, saying drivers were recklessly leaving the scene as officers arrived. Jacob Love, 19, was arrested for participating in an unlawful race in his white Dodge Charger which was towed away. Police said he was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes.
They burst, and it’s very unnecessary and not good for the neighborhood to have to deal with it on a normal basis," Stevens said.
Residents hope more drivers are arrested. "I’m really afraid there’s going to be a fatality, so they need to stop it," Turner told us.
Penalties for street racing include a one-year suspension on a driver's license, having a vehicle impounded for a month, and paying fines starting at $500 to $1,000. The driver that was arrested also had his laptop taken into evidence as well, according to police.