- Police say vehicles raced on a Long Island service road.
- Four Connecticut men were arrested following a traffic stop.
- A truck, trailer, and race car were all impounded.
If you’re involved in street takeovers or illegal drag racing, subtlety probably isn’t high on your list of priorities. Four Connecticut men learned that lesson early Sunday after Suffolk County Police broke up a late-night gathering on Long Island. Officers didn’t have to hunt very hard for at least one interesting machine, either. It was sitting on a trailer behind the truck they stopped.
According to the Suffolk County Police Department, a 911 caller reported a large gathering of vehicles at approximately 1:10 a.m. on Express Drive North, west of Sills Road in Yaphank, New York. Members of the department’s Street Takeover Task Force responded and allegedly saw vehicles racing before the gathering began to scatter.
Read: Mother And Son Arrested On Plane Trying To Flee Country After Deadly BMW Street Race
Footage released by police reportedly shows people positioning cars, along with tire smoke, backfires, and vehicles accelerating down the service road. It legitimately looks like a scene out of the world’s most low-budget Fast and Furious cosplay ever. Two EK Civics with fat front tires do burnouts and one spits flames out of a turbo outlet ducted through the hood. The pair roll off at high speed sometime before police arrived. Officers eventually stopped a truck towing a trailer carrying what police described simply as a “race car.” Four men were arrested following the stop.
Christian Vargas Hernandez, 28, was charged with reckless driving, third-degree unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle, and unlawful speed contests, sideshows, and races. John Maldonado, 33, Lawrence Torres, 30, and Efrain Rivera, 35, received the latter charge. All four are from Meriden, Connecticut.
Suffolk County’s takeover law casts a much wider net than its name might suggest. Its definition of participation includes organizing or promoting an event, acting as a starter, positioning a vehicle, directing people, and even riding in a vehicle to help facilitate the gathering. Knowingly watching from within 200 feet (61 meters) is separately prohibited.
Police didn’t explain precisely what they believe the other three men did beyond charging them under that law. All four received appearance tickets and will be arraigned later. Meanwhile, the truck, trailer, and race car remain impounded. That turned one traffic stop into a remarkably efficient three-piece haul for police.
