HOONS FOOTAGE DRAMA
Six more cars impounded in crackdown by the police
SPECTATORS filming burnouts at a car meet were turned upon by the crowd who believed they were helping authorities, police say, as six more cars were impounded in a hoon crackdown on the Gold Coast.
Police say they have arrested five people – charging them with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and drink and drug driving – and issued 79 offences during the Glitter Strip anti-hooning blitz this month.
On one occasion, a man sat on the spoiler of a vehicle during a dangerous stunt.
SPECTATORS filming burnouts at a car meet were turned upon by the crowd who believed they were helping authorities, police say, as six more cars were impounded in a hoon crackdown on the Gold Coast.
Police say they have arrested five people – charging them with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and drink and drug driving – and issued 79 offences fines during the Glitter Strip anti-hooning blitz this month.
Acting Chief Superintendent Geoff Sheldon said police were out in force on Saturday night targeting another hoon meet in Upper Coomera.
He said the event attracted a smaller crowd compared to a week ago, in which 1000 people and 600 cars crammed into a Bunnings car park at Pimpama and turned on police.
“The actual crowd standing around were less. We’re hoping they got the message that you’ll be targeted if you’re attending these events, whether you’re a driver or just a spectator,” he said.
Police footage from the event showed cars performing dangerous burnouts, close to small crowds. On one occasion, a man sat on the spoiler of a vehicle during a dangerous stunt.
He said footage from the hoon event at Pimpama a week earlier proved vital for police, and it appeared many on Saturday night were uneasy about the dangerous antics being filmed.
“They somewhat turned on themselves. If you were in the crowd filming the burnouts with your phone, you found yourself targeted by people there, suspicious that you might have been assisting us,” Chief Supt Sheldon said.
“Because ... last weekend a lot of our arrests have come from phones we’ve seized and footage that’s been found on mobile phones.
“Maybe they’re going to turn away from social media; I suspect not. It’s the gratification of doing the incident, and then reliving it and sharing it, that seems to be what excites these people.”
Police say they have identified a small group of people believed to be responsible for running the events.
“We’re proactively targeting them. If they’re going to participate in this sort of antisocial behaviour they can face the full extent of the law,” Chief Supt Sheldon said.
A Burpengary man, 21, was also charged with possessing fireworks and a string of driving offences. Police are investigating whether he was involved in firing the fireworks at police at the out-ofcontrol hoon meet at Pimpama.
He is accused of driving dangerously, at high speed and through multiple red lights on the Gold Coast.
“It’s a privilege to drive on the roads in Queensland and we’re quite happy to take that privilege off you if you’re not going to give a damn about your own safety or the safety of anyone else in the community,” Chief Supt Sheldon said.