LOUSIVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police is investigating a number of "drag racing incidents" over the weekend in Louisville.
According to a statement from the agency, police received reports of the incidents and are responding.
"Currently, we are mobilizing resources to address the issue," the statement read. "The behavior is reckless and poses significant risks and dangers to the public. As such, LMPD is committed to utilizing manpower to enforce the law and help keep drivers safe."
Police did not specify the location of the drag racing, but a video posted on Facebook by Mandy Darnell, appears to show a number of cars racing down the Watterson Expressway, near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. In the video, several cars appear to be at a standstill while others race down the interstate or do donuts, with smoke billowing and the sound of squealing tires. Several people can be seen standing on concrete barriers in the middle of the interstate shooting videos with their cellphones.
On Monday, black rubber tire marks on Interstate 264 appeared to show the aftermath of burnouts and donuts. Several people have told WDRB they were petrified when they pulled up to the scene Friday night and the expressway was blocked.
Police scanner traffic obtained from Broadcastify warns officers to "be on the lookout for a group of street racers that have traffic stopped."
Some WDRB viewers said the same thing happened early Sunday morning on Interstate 65 near Outer Loop. Police scanner traffic in that area indicated that drivers taking part in the drag racing were not letting other vehicles pass. Several people, including one woman who didn't want to be identified, said in both instances they were trying to drive through and got stuck.
"I won't lie. I was scared," one viewer said. "The police officer told me he had dispatched and they would get someone out there as soon as possible and that I needed to lock my doors and stay in my car."
Numerous times, WDRB News has reached out to LMPD asking about the incident, whether they responded and if reports are true that there were similar incidents on I-65 and on Broadway over the weekend. The department's only response is that it's aware of incidents and is "currently mobilizing resources to address the issue."
It's not clear how they responded or what they're doing to stop it.
Drag racing on the expressway was not the only chaos on I-264 this weekend. LMPD said a shooting took place on I-264 between Bells Lane and Dumesnil Street. They said a man was shot while fighting in the car with another man.
"You can't even get on the interstate to go home at night and be safe to go home without being stopped in the middle of an interstate," said someone who witnessed the drag racing.
Late Monday afternoon, LMPD released an additional statement promising to target the drag racers:
"We understand and share the community’s concern over illegal street racing. Reckless driving creates an environment where numerous, law-abiding individuals are exposed to high and unnecessary risk. The department is committed to curbing this activity, while simultaneously not creating greater risk through its enforcement efforts. To that end, the department is pulling together its resources and manpower to specifically target those engaged in illegal drag racing and mitigate the reckless behavior. Additionally, we encourage the public to report large groups of vehicles gathering by contacting LMPD, so that officers can address the issue before roadways are obstructed or used for illegal racing."
Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
