MPD solicits tips on weekend stunt driving
By the time Memphis police officers arrived to a section of I-240 near Walnut Grove Road Saturday evening around 10:17, the drivers who’d shut down the highway while doing stunts had already cleared the area, MPD said in a statement posted to Twitter Monday.
The department said it had received reports of street racing and cars doing donuts in the area, minutes prior. One motorist posted a video to Facebook, apparently taken as traffic in all lanes of the highway backed-up as the stunt drivers sped in circles ahead.
“We will charge anyone that we can positively identify with observed violations like obstructing traffic, reckless driving, disorderly conduct and other offenses,” the department statement said. As of Monday afternoon, no arrests had been made in Memphis according to MPD’S tweet.
“Only in the M,” the Memphis motorist wrote regarding the video shared to Facebook. A similar incident on I-55 in Jackson, Mississippi Friday evening — also captured on social media — has resulted in one arrest, according to the Jackson Clarion-ledger.
“Reckless stunt driving puts the community in danger and could result in the injury or death of the participants, spectators and nearby drivers,” MPD said. “The Memphis Police Department will not tolerate criminal acts like this.”
The department is encouraging witnesses to call and report any stuntdriving incidents.
Sarah Macaraeg can be reached at sarah.macaraeg@commercialappeal .com or on Twitter @seramak.