WA Street Racing Task Force Arrests 3rd Accused Event Organizer

BELLEVUE, WA — Washington's regional street racing task force announced another major arrest Wednesday, taking a third person into custody accused of organizing illegal events across the region. Washington State Patrol said a 24-year-old Kenmore man was arrested last Friday on suspicion of organizing racing and street "takeover" events in King and Snohomish counties.

The multi-agency task force formed in March, aiming to crack down on illegal street races in Snohomish, Pierce and King counties. Since then, law enforcement has filed close to 400 charges against multiple suspects, with charges ranging from misdemeanor reckless driving, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and malicious mischief charges to felonies. Back in May, the task force announced charges against 29 people facing more than 200 criminal charges.

WSP writes:

"The street racing and sideshow scene has gained popularity throughout the country in recent years. As popularity increased, so did the frequency and danger of these events happening across our region. As a result of this reckless and unsafe behavior multiple people have been seriously injured and/or killed while participating in or attending these events. This doesn’t include the countless amount of innocent citizens who are negatively impacted by the noise, road closures, and direct intimidation or danger coming from the people attending these racing events. The task force has worked diligently over the past four months to hold racing organizers, participants, and attendees accountable through these investigative efforts."

Law enforcement agencies across the three counties have joined forces with WSP to stop street racing across jurisdictions, in partnership with local prosecuting attorneys.