Driver arrested for drag racing, blocking ambulances amid reports of 300 street racers in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police said a Shepherdsville man was arrested late Saturday for fleeing police and blocking ambulances amid reports of 300 street racers in downtown Louisville.

According to court documents, 18-year-old Justin Wagner was arrested by Louisville Metro Police shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday.

Police said they were sent to various locations in downtown Louisville after receiving reports of about 300 street racers blocking traffic and doing "burnouts" in several downtown Louisville intersections.

"As officers converged on one area to address each issue, the street racers would take over another intersection," an arrest report states.

MetroSafe dispatchers then received reports that all 10 lanes were blocked at the intersection of South 18th Street and West Broadway and two ambulances were stuck behind the traffic.

Police said those ambulances were "intentionally obstructed from performing their duties and transporting patients to local hospitals."

When officers arrived at the intersection, they saw a yellow 2017 Dodge Charger among the vehicles blocking the intersection. Police said the vehicle had no license, which is a common technique for street racers to avoid being identified.

According to court documents, police saw Wagner try to get into the Dodge Charger and drive away, but when officers yelled for him to stop, he instead tried to run away on foot.

He was eventually arrested.

Officers from several divisions were required to free both the ambulances and other motorists from the intersection.

Wagner is charged with first-degree fleeing or evading police on foot, racing a motor vehicle on a public highway, improper parking of a fire lane or blocking a traveled portion of a highway and obstructing emergency responders.

He was booked into Louisville Metro Corrections early Sunday morning, but bonded out, according to online records.

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