Gwinnett cops crackdown on street racers in overnight sting operation

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Police across Gwinnett County took part in an overnight sting operation designed to catch street racers.

Drag racing has been rampant in communities across the metro, and Gwinnett has been no exception. 

"This is a large multi-jurisdictional operation," said Sgt. Michele Pihera, a spokesperson for the department. "We’ve seen an uptick in the amount of people getting out in the street and performing street racing crimes." 

Gwinnett County police meet before a weekend operation targeting street racing on March 18, 2022. (FOX 5)

FOX 5 got an up-close look at the cross-county sting Friday night. More than fifty officers were out from nightfall to 2 a.m. Saturday morning looking for racers. 

Sgt. Pihera said a lot of these groups organize on social media, so the department’s crime analysis team was back at the station looking around for meet-ups. 

However, the rain became a bump in the road for cops. 

The police helicopter was unable to launch due to concerns over visibility, along with the fact that the rain tends to keep racers at home. Pihera said the air unit was instead using a fleet of drones to stay on top of the racers from the sky. 

Gwinnett County police meet before a weekend operation targeting street racing on March 18, 2022. (FOX 5)

Cops ask if you see drag racing, call it in. 

"Though they may not always see us out and about enforcing street racing, we are constantly monitoring," the sergeant said. "If they see anything with regards to street racing, call their 911 center, we will be happy to send officers out to investigate."

It’s immediately not clear how many if any, arrests and tickets were issued during the operation.

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