This year, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) has used their street racer enforcement task force to stop them in their tracks.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Speeding, donuts, and other forms of reckless driving sometimes happen at 125 miles per hour.
This year, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) has used their street racer enforcement task force to stop them in their tracks.
Since March 2023, the initiative has made 47 arrests. MNPD’s Lieutenant James Williams said that one of the most common tactics they see is called a “street takeover,” when groups get together and block intersections to perform donuts or slides. Williams said that groups choose parking lots, but they’ve also seen people block busier stretches of road.
In 2020, MNPD started its Street Racer Enforcement Initiative, which is focused on ending the dangerous trend.
“When you’re operating your vehicle at high speeds or doing maneuvers that are unsafe, it can really injure someone else, injure yourself, and cause a whole lot of property damage,” Williams said. “Dangerous — it’s very dangerous.”
One arrest happened just this week when Police apprehended Alexis Palacios-Escalante, 27, of Murfreesboro, and Savyon Dequantez Morton, 21, of Nashville, for reckless driving on Nolensville Pike over the weekend.
According to MNPD, Palacios-Escalante was driving a red Acura when it performed a burnout at an intersection in front of a Traffic Unit officer working a street racer initiative. Palacios-Escalante smelled of marijuana and failed the sobriety test. He was charged with reckless driving and driving under the influence.
Morton was observed speeding down Nolensville Pike in a Chrysler 300 with two passengers hanging out of the windows. Police said that he fled from a traffic stop and was tracked by MNPD’s Aviation Unit, hitting 125 miles per hour before eventually stopping in North Nashville where he was safely taken into custody.
Both have since been released on bond.
“They block a large intersection and that makes it hard for anyone to get out of that area if they don’t want to be there, and they kind of get stuck in a spot where they could get injured when someone loses control of their vehicle or drives through at a high rate of speed,” Williams explained.
LWilliams said that another aspect of street racing involves social media, and that some detectives work to identify offenders through posts and videos.
“We work to identify them and then work with the DA’s office to prosecute those folks who are promoting these events and organizing these events,” Williams added.
Williams told News 2 that last year, four people died as a result of street racing or street takeovers. He also mentioned since the initiative began in 2020, MNPD has made 1,300 traffic stops, issued 987 violations, and arrested 272 people in connection with the program.
“They’re looking to create laws that better address the issues that we’re seeing on the streets,” Williams added. “Hopefully, this taskforce will be able to provide some recommendations for the legislature coming up in January.”
Tennessee has taken on the issue statewide. This year, a new bill took effect focused on street racing, in honor of Jack Barnhardt. The 15-year Army Special Forces Veteran was headed to pick up his children, when MNPD said that 31-year-old Patrick Ewin lost control and hit Barnhardt at speeds above 100 miles per hour.
“Street racing has gotten out of control,” Barndhardt’s partner, Katie Kastle, said before lawmakers earlier this year. “Much like a firearm, a vehicle is a weapon when inappropriately and outrageously utilized in an irresponsible manner.”
MNPD encouraged residents to report when they see street racing or street takeovers. You can file a report through HubNashville under the ‘aggressive driving’ section.