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Aurora police begin street racing crackdown

Police said they broke up large gatherings of street racers in four different locations throughout the city on Sunday night.

AURORA, Colo. — In an effort to stop the “nuisance” of street racing, Aurora’s police department said it’s dedicating more resources to focus on drivers who race on highways and damage private parking lots by doing burnouts. 

Police said they plan to use undercover officers to identify vehicles and license plates to eventually seize cars of drivers seen street racing and making donuts in parking areas. 

“We are going to hold that car. We are going to make the owner of that car go before a judge and explain what they were doing,” Agent Matthew Longshore said. “We are not going to tolerate this kind of behavior in Aurora.”

On Sunday night, the agency said on Twitter, “We visited 4 known racing spots & disbanded meetups, contacted multiple suspected racers & interrupted planned racing activities. We issued 1 summons, towed 1 car but most importantly, made our presence known.”

The summons was issued to a juvenile burning out tires on his truck. The teen was cited for reckless driving, according to police.

The Aurora Police Department said complaints have been coming in about street racers making noise and posing a danger on the highways.

Large groups of street racers can quickly form in parking lots thanks to social media sites like Snapchat and Instagram, police said. 

Multiple law enforcement agencies have been trying to curb street racing in the Denver metro area for years. An anti-street racing working group made up of local agencies has created a website where people can submit anonymous tips to report street racing. 

9Wants to Know has been analyzing 3,000 street racing cases in Colorado over the past six years. A special report on May 12 will reveal what happens to the majority of street racing citations.

If you have more information about this story or have another news tip you’d like to share, you can email jeremy@9news.com.

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