The Broward Sheriff’s Office continued its war against “street takeovers” over the weekend, raiding two gatherings, arresting seven men, seizing cars and issuing dozens of citations, according to a news release.
The suspects, one of whom organizes the events online, now face charges including street racing, drug possession and carrying a concealed firearm, the Sheriff’s Office release said.
The weekend raids are part of a new offensive the Sheriff’s Office announced earlier this month against the growing number of illegal street racing activities across South Florida, including “takeovers” where drivers gather to do doughnuts and burn out their tires in the middle of the busy roads and highways. Those arrested are being charged under a new Florida law that makes all of these activities criminal misdemeanors, while spectators get traffic citations.
On Friday night, detectives learned that dozens of “suspected intersection takeover vehicles” had gathered in the 5300 block of West Atlantic Boulevard in Margate, a popular gathering spot and the site of a previous mass arrest.
The group drove to a warehouse off Green Road and Powerline Road in Deerfield Beach, where deputies arrested one person, seized two cars and issued six citations, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The next night, detectives found out that another group of potential intersection takeover drivers had met in the 4700 block of South State Road 7 in Hollywood. Deputies arrested six more people, issued nearly 60 citations, and seized three vehicles and a gun.
Deputies from multiple locations and units worked with officers of the Margate Police Department in a “concerted effort” to stop the weekend activities, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carey Codd.
The arrested men are: Ali Pierre, 18, of Fort Lauderdale; Jose Avila, 25, of West Palm Beach; Roberto Roman, 20, of Lake Worth Beach; Roberto Vogt, 21, of Plantation; Fanor Torres, 19, of North Lauderdale; Rossin Lewis, 26, of Miami-Dade County; and Kayden Chalumeau, 18, of Plantation.
Vogt coordinates the events online, according to the release. The new law makes it a misdemeanor to organize street takeover events.
Posts and stories on Instagram leading up to the weekend advertised a “banger” called “March Madness” to take place on Friday and Saturday, some directly referencing Sheriff Gregory Tony in derogatory ways. One of the accounts that advertised the event has since been deleted.
The Sheriff’s Office believes the recent crackdown is making drivers “reconsider their decisions” based on information that investigators have gathered, Codd said. He declined to elaborate about the information.
“It’s fair to say that the ongoing efforts are making an impact,” Codd wrote in an email.
