JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office made nearly a dozen street-racing-related arrests over the weekend.
The ages of the arrests range from 20 to 34, with the majority being men in their early twenties. Descriptions of the arrests include violating street racing laws in street takeovers, violating street racing and stunt driving laws, and racing on a highway.
Florida Statute 316.191 states that upon a first offense, street racing charges could qualify as a first-degree misdemeanor — a crime punishable by up to a year in jail.
“These people doing 130, 140 down the highway in their cars just because of, I don’t know, if it’s ego, pride, whatever — that could end somebody’s life,” said Derek Hutchinson, a car enthusiast.
Hutchinson says he’s been a part of the car community for over a decade, but in recent years, he’s noticed that street racers have left their mark.
He says that while driving to a car meet-up in Georgia, he witnessed the reckless behavior firsthand.
“They weren’t racing for money; they weren’t racing for slips; they were just racing, just for the adrenaline,” Hutchinson said.
That’s why Hutchinson said he put a petition together several years ago to help open a designated drag strip at Callahan Speedway, but despite its recent opening, he says the problem on local streets still persists.
“Just doing burnouts, and you know, donuts, and racing,” Hutchinson said. “It turned from car culture to danger.”
There were several car meet-ups advertised this past weekend, but we have not yet heard back on whether these arrests were related to these events.
Action News Jax is still waiting on the arrest reports. We’ll update this article with more information as it becomes available.
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