ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above originally aired in October of 2020.
Street racing is a growing problem that is squarely on the radar of law enforcement organizations across the Twin Cities. Cars and speed can be a dangerous combination, and violence at recent gatherings has triggered gunfire and in at least two cases, death.
On Friday, Minnesota state troopers conducted targeted street racing patrols on interstates and highways across the metro. The crackdown resulted in:
- Four citations for reckless/careless driving
- 19 stops for speed that included citations for drivers doing 112, 112, 102 and 97 miles per hour
- One stop resulting in the arrest of a man with three outstanding felony warrants
The state patrol says that suspect fled from a trooper trying to pull him over for street racing-related traffic violations in Minneapolis. The suspect was later located inside a residence and arrested for fleeing police and first-degree burglary.
"We want drivers to understand that excessive speeds can lead to life-changing consequences," read a post on the patrol's Facebook page. "Combine speed with racing other vehicles and the consequences can change several families lives forever."
"Drive smart and stay alive," the post concludes.
The danger involves more than people in the fast cars. Two people in their teens were fatally shot while watching street racing within the last two weeks. Vanessa Jensen was watching burnouts and donuts by so-called "Hot Rodders" at North Second street and North 22nd Avenue in Minneapolis late June 4 when she was hit by a stray bullet.
Nicholas Enger of Cambridge was watching street racers on East Lake Street that same weekend when he too was shot, and did not survive.