APD issues 80 citations and made several arrest for street racing

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    ATLANTA, GA (WGCL) — The fight against street racing got a huge boost over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend as APD issued more than 80 citations and made several arrests.

“Racing has always been an issue but now we see a real proliferation of it,” said Atlanta City Councilmember Micheal Bond, who added racing enthusiasts from all over the state and outside the state have been flocking to metro Atlanta to fulfill their need for speed. And, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend was no exception.

“This Thanksgiving, there was a big event planned where a lot of individuals from Memphis Tennessee was coming here but our units were able to work with Memphis Police Department, Decatur Police Department, and DeKalb PD to deter some of the racers” said APD Assistant Police Chief, Todd Coyt, during the city’s Public Safety Committee meeting.

Coyt, added through their partnership with the other police departments, they contacted race organizers to discourage many of the would-be visitors from taking the drive to Atlanta but for those who did make the drive, officers were out in full force.

“This past weekend there were three individuals physically arrested, this past weekend we gave out 84 citations, and we impounded four cars, added Coyt who says their effort is sending a message that street racing is not welcomed.

But while APD works to discourage racing, Bond says the city is looking at changing the law. “In the city of Atlanta we’re going to continue to do everything within the municipality’s power to stop street racing. The good news is the state legislature is planning to look at this issue because it’s not just happening in Atlanta, it’s sprinkling into all the different metropolitan cities,” added Bond.

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