Richmond police say they had been in a position to cease a deliberate “takeover” of the town because it was taking place. The occasions began at 9 PM on February 19 at varied areas across the metropolis.
The occasion, which in accordance with Instagram posts was hosted by @mission.RVA.takeover, was attended by roughly 300 drivers intending to have interaction in unlawful actions, akin to burnouts and doughnuts in intersections, although one viewer claimed there have been as much as 1,500 individuals in attendance, reviews NBC12.
Police had been alerted to the occasion due to the social media posts that had been monitored, a few of which might nonetheless publicly be seen.
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“We watch social media fairly a bit, monitoring for any unlawful actions and issues that may assist us within the investigation, and we got here throughout it, and we began to watch it very intently,” stated Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith.
Because of this, the cops had been ready for the drivers and say they subtle six meet-up areas that night time. Ultimately, they issued 45 tickets for quite a lot of causes, together with reckless driving and disregarding a purple gentle.
“That’s very harmful conduct – rushing. You’re speaking about they’re taking their life in their very own hand, and never solely their life however an harmless pedestrian who might not know precisely what’s happening,” stated Smith.
One particular person, Richard C Shreve, Jr., was charged with a felony eluding the police, reckless driving, and unlawful window tinting. The police additionally impounded his automotive.
“Our message is evident and easy, we is not going to tolerate this exercise on the streets of Richmond and we are going to strictly implement the legislation with regards to probably endangering the lives of others”, stated Smith. “I’m pleased with how our officers stopped efforts to wreak havoc on the town of Richmond, they prevented what may have been a really tragic occasion.”