ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced on Monday that deputies arrested nine men amid an agency crackdown on street racing and “intersection takeovers.”
Deputies said that the men—Austin Yonkin, 21; Zackery Roberts, 20; Bryan Rodriguez, 21; Lamorris Sykes, 20; Marcell Joseph, 18; Alexis Ramirez, 20; Zoraima Resto, 45; Josean Almonte, 22; and Erick Medrano-Romero—were arrested over the weekend.
According to a collection of arrest affidavits, the men were doing burnouts and donuts in a parking lot of an Aldi’s, located at 12351 S Orange Blossom Trail, around 10 p.m. Saturday. Reports show many parked vehicles and pedestrians observed the street racing.
“Street racing and takeovers are illegal and extremely dangerous,” deputies said in a video on Facebook. “If you do this in Orange County, you will be arrested, and your car will be impounded for at least 30 days.”
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Street racing & intersection takeovers are illegal - and extremely dangerous. If you do this in Orange County, you’ll be arrested & your fancy car will be impounded for at least a month. OCSO arrested 9 people over the weekend - and they won’t be the last. pic.twitter.com/3vsAiFMhLn
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) April 17, 2023
The men arrested over the weekend face various charges for reckless driving and moving traffic violations for racing motor vehicles in a parking lot.
Street racing has been a consistent issue for residents in Florida. In February, troopers told News 6 that they had noticed an uptick in the state.
“The price is too high. Racing is for a racetrack,” Trooper Channing Taylor said. “In Florida, we’re not going to tolerate it.”
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