Nearly 70 arrested in alleged street race
Task force of officers respond to reports
Police arrested nearly 70 people on trespassing complaints Sunday night as drivers were reportedly hot-rodding in a Hobby Lobby parking lot in southwest Oklahoma City.
Around 9:30 p.m., a large number of street racers were seen skidding their vehicles and spinning their tires at 2213 W Interstate 240 Service Road, and a task force of uniformed officers and undercover agents organized quickly to arrest them, police said.
Police viewing the scene from a
At least 67 people were arrested on complaints of trespassing.
helicopter said about 100 cars were in the parking lot, according to police reports. Police cars were used to block the exits to prevent the street racers from escaping. At least 67 people were arrested on complaints of trespassing.
Juveniles were among those detained, but they were “cited and released” to their parents and did not spend time in jail, police said.
“We had an officer that was assaulted during the situation,” said Sgt. Dillon Quirk of the Oklahoma City Police Department. “He had a bottle thrown at his head, had minor injuries, but he was treated and released. He’s going to be just fine.”
Brian Revilla, who police identified as the one who allegedly struck the officer, attempted to flee the parking lot in a vehicle but was stopped by police. A search of Revilla’s vehicle found handguns and a black purse that contained marijuana that belonged to a passenger.
Revilla was arrested on complaints of assault and battery, in addition to trespassing, and was booked into the Oklahoma County jail.
Since early 2020, street racers have been seen in social media videos blocking the flow of traffic to different interstate exits throughout the metro area. Drivers are seen doing doughnuts with their vehicles, a risky maneuver in which a driver spins the car to leave a circular skid mark.
Shutdowns from highway street racing have been documented in other states. Authorities are uncertain of any connection between the highway incidents and “boredom” from pandemic-related restrictions or the popularity of the street racing series “Street Outlaws,” which is filmed partly in Oklahoma County.
“It’s believed that these (arrested) street racers are connected in some way to the group that has been shutting down the highways,” Quirk said.