JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Videos that were uploaded to the internet over the weekend show automobiles obstructing traffic and doing donuts on Interstate 295 on the west side of Jacksonville because the roadway has been shut down for street racing.
The footage is now assisting the investigation that the police are conducting, and authorities have reported to News4JAX that they will shortly be detaining some of the drivers involved.
As of Thursday afternoon, a video on Facebook demonstrating the “highway takeover” had already received more than 117,000 views.
The video shows people hanging out of car windows while they spin out of control while taking videos with their cell phones. Others stop traffic on the highway by barricading it. There is a stoppage in traffic and several drivers are fuming behind it, blowing their horns at each other.
“When I saw the video, I realized that they actually shut down an entire highway,” Jaime Eason, Chief of Patrol and Enforcement for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, stated. “When I saw the video.”
“And I think what’s annoying about it is that they don’t know what’s on the highway,” she continued. “And I believe that’s a problem. They are not aware of anyone attempting to go to the hospital at this time. They have no way of knowing whether or not someone is trying to get home after working a 15-hour shift.
Eason has been at the forefront of the agency’s efforts to combat street racing, an issue that continues to plague the city as a whole. Many individuals from the weekend takeover have been identified by JSO police at this point.
“[Participants] like to post, and if they don’t post, then people are posting for them,” she added. “If they don’t post, then people are posting for them.” “And I’ll be honest with you, the majority of our investigation leads are coming from members of the general public, not from police officers.
Many folks are just irritated by this situation in its current state. Even among the vehicle clubs that are carrying out their activities in accordance with the law, they do not want to be connected with that term. They communicated with me every single day by email or text message.
Eason has stated that arrests will be made, and he has referred to the antics as hazardous and arrogant. She mentioned that a lot of drivers hide their license plates, but she also mentioned that the police had other means to find them.
The state of Florida recently passed some laws that make the punishments more severe.
She said that “Blocking [a highway] is actually now a felony,” which is an accurate statement. “In the past, it was considered a minor infraction. Additionally, the maximum penalty for this offense is fifteen years in prison and a fine of ten thousand dollars.
News4JAX attempted to get in touch with the individual who uploaded the most current footage. He stated that he shared it and that he is not participating in the racing.
The I-Team at News4JAX has been reporting on an upsurge in both street racing and crackdowns, which have resulted in dozens of arrests, the confiscation of dozens of vehicles, and the issuance of hundreds of tickets. Despite this, the competition will continue.
Eason went on to say that “there are a lot of business owners out there in the city,” and that after seeing our initial story, many of them “would like to give these people an opportunity to do this lawfully.”
“There are people who have private property who allow these people to go on private property and they can race without causing injury or anything like that to the public,” the author writes. “There are people who have private property who allow these people to go on private property.”
In this particular instance, Eason stated that she did not learn about this from 911 calls; rather, she stated that she learned about it from a video that was shared on social media. She is requesting that the authorities be contacted by anyone who witnesses behavior of this nature.
