An 18-year-old was arrested after a large car meetup left one officer injured and a police cruiser damaged early Sunday in Springfield, Virginia.
Fairfax County police estimate that more than 100 people gathered to watch drivers do doughnuts and other dangerous maneuvers at around 3 a.m.
Police said they arrived with the intent to break up the reckless driving exhibition when some members of the group surrounded an officer’s car. Authorities then called for more help.
“I have a huge crowd around my car. They all have masks on. They are beating on my cruiser. I’ve got individuals walking on top of my car,” one officer can be heard saying on dispatch audio.
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Other officers also described what they encountered at the scene, part of an industrial area near Springfield’s Mixing Bowl.
“We’ve got numerous cars, at least 100 people, maybe 200 people,” one officer said.
“I got people trying to run me over,” another added.
Once the crowd began to flee, an officer was intentionally struck, police said.
“I just got hit by a … car. It’s going to be a silver Nissan. Lights are off right now, several people hanging out,” the officer shouted on dispatch while also noting that his wrist was injured.
The Fairfax County Police Helicopter Division joined the pursuit of the Nissan as it headed into Maryland. That driver has not been arrested.
Fairfax County police did arrest an 18-year-old that crashed into a police cruiser when driving the wrong way down the road. Warrants have also been issued for a Pennsylvania man.
According to police, more arrests are expected.
Just hours before police arrived at the Springfield scene, Prince William County police faced a similar incident when a huge crowd gathered at the Market at Opitz Crossing shopping center.
More than 100 vehicles were doing burnouts, and some individuals were wearing black ski masks, a police officer said upon arriving at the scene.
Additional assistance was also requested when the cars charged towards the Prince William County police units. However, no arrests were made.
Another example of so-called “exhibition driving” was seen in Takoma Park in February.
Video from the Takoma Park scene shows a multitude of people gathering, some recording the reckless driving with their phones and others shouting and waving with their hands.
Following the Takoma Park scene, Maryland lawmakers proposed more severe penalties for those involved in exhibition driving.
