'We're coming for you': Philadelphia police promise to crackdown on illegal car meetups
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Hundreds of cars were involved in a string of illegal car meet-ups across Philadelphia this weekend, several of which turned violent.
Videos from across the city revealed the chaos that unfolded, including cars doing burnouts, fireworks, and even rings of fire in the streets.
Images recorded by Lisa Jourdan, who lives off 25th and Washington streets, showed what happened after she came downstairs in an effort to get people off the parked cars they were standing on.
"I ended up at some point coming down and I was assaulted myself, and then was threatened with a gun. There was a shell casing the cops found. So, yeah, I had these barrels thrown at me," Jourdan recalled.
In the end, authorities responded to a total of 11 illegal car meet-ups, six of which reportedly turned violent and destructive between 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 4:30 a.m. Sunday.
Investigators say a police officer was injured and hospitalized at one of these locations. At least one police vehicle was stomped on and damaged.
Roosevelt Poplar, President of FOP Lodge Five, says enough is enough.
"It's very concerning when my members go to work and don't go home the same way. So, anytime one of my members is injured. It's very concerning. It should be concerning to the public because it shows these people have no concern for the law," he said.
A bill cracking down on drifting and street racing was signed into law last year in Philadelphia.
Councilman Mike Driscoll, who sponsored that bill, believes that what happened this past weekend was a response to that law being enforced over the past several months.
"When law enforcement started to kick in recently, it seems like they're emboldened then to come out and say this doesn't apply to us," said Driscoll.
On Monday, however, investigators were actively working to identify the people and vehicles in these videos to prosecute everyone involved and seize the cars.
"They're putting our citizens in danger," Driscoll explained. "So we have to push back, and we have to start making arrests. We have to start taking these damn vehicles and let them know that Philadelphia is not where you're going to do this illegal activity."
Authorities told Action News on Sunday that police will not tolerate this behavior.
"We have your picture, we're coming for you. If you think you got away last night, you didn't," said Deputy Commissioner Francis Healy, chief of staff at the Philadelphia Police Department.
"When you hear that banging on the door, it will be us. We're coming with search warrants and arrest warrants. Don't think we're gonna allow this to happen in our city, we're not," Healy added.
Investigators are now actively going after the people involved in these incidents with the hope of prosecuting them, slapping them with a $2,000 fine, and confiscating their vehicles.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Philadelphia police.
