MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police are looking for the drivers behind three chaotic street racing and stunt driving incidents that tied up traffic across the city Jan. 2.
Police believe the incidents are related.
One truck driver, who didn’t want to be identified, described a wild scene as hundreds of motorists shut down Rivergate Road near Paul R. Lowry Road while doing donuts in front of his big rig. At first he thought it was an accident.
“To see a yellow Charger doing donuts, to see people out of their cars, it was over three hundred cars out there on the grass,” the driver said. “Parked in the middle of the street, blocking the street where us truck drivers couldn’t get down the street.”
He says it looked like a scene after the World Series.
“They were shooting Roman candles out of the sunroof, they were sitting on the top or their cars while someone else was driving fast down the street,” he said. “They were going in all directions, it was like bumper to bumper traffic, they were driving erratic and I didn’t know if I was going to get hit. I couldn’t move.”
He called police but by the time officers arrived everyone was gone.
According to a Memphis Police report, 45 minutes after this call, officers got another call about more cars doing donuts on Sam Cooper Boulevard near Perkins.
And three minutes later, officers get a report of 25-30 cars racing and doing donuts on I- 240 and Walnut Grove.
“We’ve had incidents where indivduals have done this stunt driving and they’ve fired shots from the cars,” said Chief Paul Wright with MPD.
Police say it appears all three incidents were coorindated on social media. Officers are following up tips and searching for the drivers involved.
If you know anything about these incidents, you are urged to call Crimestoppers at 528-CASH. All calls are confidential.
