ATLANTA — Street racing and car stunts are still a weekly problem in Fulton County, but Atlanta police say they’re continuing to crack down on drivers.
Neighbors say they see and hear the drivers late into the night throughout the county and the illegal stunt driving have taken over roads and parking lots.
APD say officers are working hard to stop the drivers and say they issued nearly 100 citation this past weekend alone.
[RELATED: Watching street racing in Atlanta could land you $1,000 fine or even jail time]
Since the start of the pandemic, social media has exploded with viral videos showing large crowds gather on the streets of Atlanta watching as drivers perform dangerous tricks.
Channel 2 Action News′ cameras were recording as police responded to Peachtree and I-85 where investigators found nearly 100 cars in the street and several people shooting off fireworks. The crowd moved to two other locations before police cleared them.
[RELATED: Fulton County leaders, neighbors fed up with growing street racing, car stunt problems]
Over the weekend, Atlanta police said they made 43 traffic stops, issued 97 citations and impounded two cars.
A neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified, says she’s sick of the racing and says it’s concerning for her family.
“They’re completely blocking the street and I not only have a child in my home but I also have my 87-year-old mother who has health concerns and if something were to happen, we would not be able get out of neighborhood and get to the hospital fast enough,” she said.
[RELATED: Over 450 arrests made by APD related to street racing, car stunts over last 6 months]
APD said the department is using all available resources – officers from their traffic units, to auto theft, to partnering with state patrol.
“We still continue to have the problem we did, but at one point we had it bad enough where they were able to take over the interstate or do some other really kind of dangerous activity. We’ve been able to eliminate most of that,” said Atlanta Police Department Deputy Chief Mark O’Connor.
Cox Media Group