To tighten down on automobile meetings in the area, the Maryland State Police has teamed up with other local law enforcement agencies. The six persons arrested by the Maryland vehicle Rally Task Force on Friday were linked to unlawful vehicle meets in Prince George’s County, the task force reported.
Members of the task force, which was established back in June, come from the police departments of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s County in addition to the Maryland State Police and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
The community refers to these types of activities as “takeovers,” and its top priority is to look into and deal with exhibition driving incidents. These gatherings occasionally result in the closure of public highways, a disturbance of traffic, and property destruction.
These gatherings have turned violent in a few situations. A crowd of people surrounded the police cruiser as they tried to disperse an officer-led car meet in Fairfax County in April.
When backup arrived, one of the meetup drivers struck the supporting police and took off, according to the officer’s call.
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After a car rendezvous in District Heights, a man was shot and killed the following month. Cops received reports of gunfire while the event was happening in the parking area of a shopping mall.
John Phipps, 26, was discovered dead inside of his automobile by the time the police got there. In that same shooting, there was another casualty. Since then, authorities have detained the man they think is the shooter.
Six arrests have been made in relation to the three vehicle rallies that the task force’s officers have responded to this month around Prince George’s County. Areas deemed to be “hot spots” have seen an increase in police patrols.
