Healey reports crackdown on illegal car race meetups following chaotic events

Massachusetts law enforcement cracked down on rowdy, illegal car racing events over the weekend in an operation Gov. Maura Healey said targeted social media-driven meetups that have left local police scrambling to respond.

On Thursday, Healey told reporters that on Saturday, Massachusetts State Police troopers had issued 232 civil citations, 74 warnings, 20 criminal summonses, seven arrests, 15 tows and two seizures.

“We've got zero tolerance for this stuff, zero tolerance, and as shown by this past weekend's efforts, we'll find you. We'll hold you accountable,” Healey said of the “first statewide operation to deter street takeovers.”

Healey said the incidents, which she called "street takeovers," involve drivers blocking intersections, street racing and “dangerous maneuvers” like burnouts.

“They're acting aggressively at times towards police officers and in some cases, deploying fireworks. This causes public disorder,” she said.

Past meetups in multiple cities and towns have tested the ability of local police to respond.

A car meetup in the South End earlier this month saw a large group of people allegedly engage in illegal street racing, block traffic and use fireworks to attack police officers, Boston Police Department officials previously said. Two Rhode Island men were arrested in connection with the meetup.

More than 100 people crowded an intersection in Randolph early on the morning of Oct. 5 and “immediately began targeting” police who had responded in their cruisers, local officials said.

“The individuals began to strike the cruisers with their fists and other objects, sit on the hoods of the cruisers as officers were attempting to drive, and lean against the bumpers as cruisers were attempting to navigate the area,” the Randolph Police Department said in a statement.

Fall River Police Chief Kelly Furtado said the meetups pose a significant danger to the public and threaten the quality of life in the city by endangering “lives through reckless driving on public streets.”

“These are not car enthusiasts who gather on a Saturday morning in a parking lot to share their passion for automobiles. These are organized groups whose purpose is to cause chaos and disruption, to create public disturbance,” Furtado said at the State House Thursday.

Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble did not say whether there has been an increase in the number of street takeovers or if they are just more visible because of social media.

“We understand this has been occurring gradually for actually several years across the country,” he said. “The response to them to ensure public safety is a bit of a challenge. Because we don't want to respond to a street takeover at 2 a.m. with 200 cars, and now we have 200 motorists fleeing at high rates of speed.”

Noble said the Saturday operation will not be the last.