Nearly 50 people were arrested on suspicion of taking part in a large-scale illegal drag race south of Tucson city limits, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said.
The racers reached speeds of around 100 mph on a county road a few miles east of Tucson International Airport, the department said Wednesday.
Video courtesy Pima County Sheriff's Department
A Sheriff’s Department aircraft sent in response to a Jan. 22 complaint found about 75 vehicles gathered near South Swan Road and Los Reales Road around 9:45 p.m., officials said.
The aircraft, using a video camera equipped with night vision technology, captured the scene and documented “several active races” in progress.
“These people were trying to turn one of our county streets into a ‘Fast and Furious’ movie,” department spokesman Kevin Adger said, referencing a film series about illegal street racing.
Some of the race cars were trucked to the site on trailers because they were not equipped for travel on public roadways, the Sheriff’s Department said.
The racing crowd began to scatter when sheriff’s ground personnel arrived on scene, but deputies were able to round up 30 vehicles and arrested 48 people as participants, the department said.
The stretch of road where the incident occurred borders a commercial car-racing track. Adger said illegal street racing is a chronic problem in the area.
