Vroom Service: Street Racing Again Causing Issues in Aurora

A year after the Aurora Police Department announced a citywide crackdown on street racing, the road warriors are back — with cops breaking up a large gathering of forty to fifty vehicles on July 23.

Aurora police officers crashed an evening racing event just south of Interstate 70 and east of Interstate 225, which saw cars speeding up and down East 33rd Place between Abilene and Fraser streets. Cops intervened and eventually arrested one of the drivers on charges of felony vehicular eluding, displaying fictitious plates and engaging in a speed contest after they "intentionally eluded officers," according to an APD Twitter statement. "Street racing is not welcome in Aurora," the department added.

According to APD spokesperson Sydney Edwards, the bust was part of the crackdown effort it began last summer.

In early May 2022, the APD announced that it would be dedicating more resources to addressing street racing and drivers doing burnouts in parking lots. In May 1, 2022, tweet, the APD called street racing a "metro-wide problem that continues to affect our community members." A year later, Edwards says that street racing incidents are still "frequent occurrences in Aurora."

However, the APD is "just as committed" as ever to cracking down on the activity," she adds. "We see illegal street racing much like we did last year, and our efforts continue. APD holds specific operations with officers on the road, focusing on street racing events like the operation we held last weekend. Our sentiments are the same: This is a dangerous activity, and if it's done illegally, we will be citing people and pressing charges when necessary.

"When it comes to street racing events, the calls that cops tend to receive flow seasonally, so it can be tough to see if calls are going down consistently, but that's why we have operations like last weekend. We hope the citations and, in some cases, arrests, discourage folks from street racing illegally," she adds.

That this past Sunday's races ended with an arrest was somewhat unusual, according to Edwards. "There have been other arrests in the past," she notes "Most of the time, these are handled with citations."

In this case, a 22-year-old driver of a yellow Ford Focus was arrested.

Street racing continues to be an issue affecting numerous communities in our city and across the metro-area.

Tonight, we teamed up with other agencies to address these concerns raised by our community. Officers located an illegal gathering that included a roadway takeover and… pic.twitter.com/gX33GA6lXh

— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) July 24, 2023

"This arrest was in relation to illegal street racing and our efforts to discourage racers," Edwards says. "This person was arrested instead of cited because they committed felony vehicular eluding."
While that incident did not result in any injuries or property damage, street races don't always end so well. "Street racing is a dangerous event," Edwards notes. "There are cases where these events have resulted in fatal car crashes or property damage."

Around metro Denver, street racing incidents have resulted in the deaths of bystanders over the past few years. In November 2021, 21-year-old Annika Williams was killed after another driver crashed into her vehicle while racing someone on Sheridan Boulevard. Earlier this year, one of the drivers who caused that crash — Adrian Lau, 22 — was sentenced to nine months in jail after a jury found him guilty of engaging in a speed contest, speeding more than 20 mph over the limit and careless driving. The driver who hit Williams, Shimpson Huynh, received a six-year jail sentence after being found guilty of vehicular homicide and other related charges.

In June 2022, a street racing incident on I-70 led to the shooting death of Glen Haven Area volunteer firefighter John Jaros — just one month after Aurora police announced its initial crackdown.

The Denver Police Department set its sights on street racing in 2021 after a series of high-profile incidents that the department linked to the pandemic. That same year, Aurora City Council passed a measure allowing police to seize cars that are repeatedly involved in street racing.

Damaging properties — especially parking lot surfaces — is a common problem with street racing. "Many warehouse properties are damaged in street racing events," Edwards says. "Cars driving on pavement in that way can damage the pavement to the point where owners have to re-pave their property at their own expense."

Edwards points out Google Maps images of Aurora warehouses where "you can see the donut and burnout marks on the pavement."
According to Edwards, the APD knows of multiple organized street racing groups, but she declines to share the names because of ongoing investigations. These groups usually use social media to communicate and organize races; the APD encourages citizens to report illegal street racing to their local law enforcement or send tips to ReportStreetRacing.com.