Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Six more arrested in Broward crackdown on reckless driving
In another major enforcement effort only a week after the first, the Broward Sheriff’s Office cracked down on reckless and stunt drivers by arresting six men and confiscating six vehicles.
The Burglary Apprehension Team surveilled a group of 60 to 70 drivers in a shopping plaza parking lot in the 5300 block of West Atlantic Boulevard in Margate about 11 p.m. Friday.
Detectives saw six drivers who were reckless and spinning out their tires while speeding, with shopping and restaurant patrons nearby, the Sheriff ’s Office said in a news release Monday. The six men were arrested at a nearby gas station, the release said.
The arrested men are: Adrian Cruz-Soto, 26, of Pompano Beach; Carlos Ramirez-Martinez, 26, of Pompano Beach; Cody Traylor, 28, of Coral Springs; Luis Maldonado, 25, of Pompano Beach; Antony Guevara-Moreno, 21, of Oakland Park; and Christopher Martinez, 24, of Fort Lauderdale.
A few of the men have been issued several traffic citations in Broward County in recent years, including for speeding, driving with expired or suspended licenses and violating tint laws, among others, court records show.
A week earlier, BAT detectives arrested three people and seized three cars after intersection takeovers in the Fort Lauderdale area on March 3. Eight spectators were also given non-criminal traffic citations for watching the events.
“We’re going to continue to exercise this type of aggressive enforcement activity,” Sheriff Gregory Tony said in the news release. “These stunts, these daredevils, these reckless drivers, these careless drivers, you’re not going to get a break from me. You’re not going to get a break from any of my deputies. We’re going to make sure we safeguard the streets of Broward County.”
All the arrested men are charged under a new Florida law, F.S.S. 316.191, that targets racing on highways, street takeovers and stunt driving. The law affects not only drivers who but also those who coordinate the events through social media, spectate or ride as a passenger.
The Sheriff ’s Office has seen an uptick in the reckless driving events since January, Tony said after the first arrests, something that has begun to happen in recent years. He blamed the “Wheels up, Guns down” event, where riders take to the streets in honor of Martin Luther King Day.
While the uptick itself is not new, Tony said he’s begun to see a “pattern” of incidents filtering down from West Palm Beach into Broward and Miami-Dade. Participants have learned some of his office’s tactics, vacating the area before deputies arrive, or changing locations strategically to evade them.