Illegal Street Racing Will Result in Instant Jail Time Says Florida Law Enforcement

In many major metropolitan cities across the United States, illegal street racing has become a growing safety issue both for attendees and for the general public. Aside from the plethora of traffic violations being committed, these events additional illegal behavior resulting in violence, damage to public property, and the risk of death.

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In an effort to emphasize how serious they are about tackling this issue, Florida’s Broward County Sheriff’s Office shared an update on the severe consequences individuals will face for taking part in illegal street racing.

Anyone Taking Part In Illegal Street Racing Will Immediately Be Arrested and Taken To Jail

During a press conference, Broward County Sherrif Gregory Tony issues a firm warning to anyone that decides to participate, attend, organize, or promote illegal street racing in his community.

“Two things are going to happen. We’re going to take your vehicles, and we’re going to take you to jail,” said Sherrif Tony. “That’s the result and that’s my mandate for every single one of these events that we encounter. There will be no ticket citations where you’re walking away. We’re going to put you in handcuffs and we’re gonna put you to jail.”

Florida authorities have been cracking down on these illegal street racing, drifting, and drag racing events on public roads, and are not accepting “spring break” as an acceptable excuse for this type of reckless behavior. This is mainly due to the number of isolated incidents that they have been experiencing throughout the year outside of the typical spring break season. “We are not going to sit by and allow someone to go out, drive hundreds of miles an hour in this community, drift in major intersections, and put people in harm’s way because of their lack of maturity and understanding about how catastrophic these events could be when they turn into car accidents and impact other vehicles.”

Illegal Street Racers Will Not Receive Any Second Chances

The Broward County Sherriff’s office has maintained its firm stance on the issue by reminding violators taking part in these illegal street races that there is not any room for negotiation or getting let off easy, despite the feedback they have received from participants through social media. “They’re saying we need to build them a track or they’re going to keep up. Well, we’re not here to negotiate. You’re violating the law and I’m going to take you to jail. It’s that simple.”

Individuals that are found to be promoting or supporting these events over social media can also be charged.

Sherrif Tony emphasizes just how severe and dangerous this kind of reckless driving can get by recalling times when he and his fellow officers had to rescue drivers from burning cars, drivers trapped inside cars that have been flipped over, and so on. “It’s only real to them after the tragedy, and that’s a problem.”

Illegal Street Racing Attracts More Forms of Criminal Behavior

Florida law enforcement also informed the public that because these events are breeding grounds for illegal actions, they also attract many active criminals that either organize or participate, resulting in even more unlawful behavior. “We pulled AK-47’s out of the cars with multiple magazines. There’s drugs. There’s a multitude of criminal components that we’re seeing that has a nexus to not just the sport of driving recklessly through the community,” says Sherrif Tony.

“What use do you have for an AK-47 in your car when you’re driving 100+ miles-per-hour, recklessly around the community? The only thing that is going to happen is another level of conflict is going to occur, and that individual’s going to use that weapon. And so before we allow for that to happen, we’re going to take them off the street.”