The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said efforts to stop street hijacks and target aggressive driving remain a priority for local law enforcement.
The department has received numerous complaints about occupied roads and intersections, and authorities are continuing to crack down. So far this year, investigators and detectives have arrested 38 drivers for reckless driving and 19 for deployments and other crackdown races, according to a news release on Friday.
Most recently, detectives conducted a 3,200 block raid on East Kleindale Road near North Country Club Road. A person who promoted the race on public roads has been arrested on charges of misdemeanor offenses including obstruction of highways and other thoroughfares, public nuisance and racing on highways, according to a news release.
Lawmakers seized items related to promoting street occupation. The sheriff’s department has not released the identity of the arrested person.
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In addition to the arrests, several vehicles were removed from the road at least temporarily during deployment.
“The kind of illegal activity shown by roadblocks and racing groups is a nuisance, often lasting well into the early hours of the morning and disrupting traffic flow,” the news release said. “This is a dangerous situation for both the people involved in the act and the communities it affects.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department obtained footage of a street racer and a “drifter” at the intersection of Raytheon Parkway and Aerospace Parkway last weekend. The Sheriff’s Department said law enforcement will review evidence related to street racing, arrest violators and seize vehicles used in such incidents.
Jamie Donnelly covers the Arizona Daily Star’s courtroom. Please contact her at her email at jdonnelly@tucson.com.
