Man arrested for illegal drag racing activities in metro Atlanta area
Jhostin Alexander Bardales
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County Police, Atlanta Police, and Dekalb County Police recently teamed up to apprehend a suspect accused of orchestrating illegal drag racing activities.
The collaborative effort unfolded on Nov. 20 around 8 a.m. when officers from the Gwinnett County North Precinct Community Response Team, with support from the Dekalb County Intelligence Unit and the Atlanta Police Department Auto Crimes Unit, executed a search warrant targeting the organizer of a criminal street racing group. The warrant was issued as part of an ongoing investigation initiated by the Atlanta Police Department following an incident on Aug. 20.
During the earlier incident, a 911 call at the intersection of Northside Drive and 17th Street in northwest Atlanta prompted the response of Atlanta Police and Georgia State Patrol. A black F-150 was spotted performing donuts in the intersection, leading to the immediate arrest of the driver by a Georgia State Trooper. Subsequent investigations by Dekalb County Police revealed the social media account coordinating the event, while Atlanta Police identified 20-year-old Jhostin Alexander Bardales of Buford as the event's organizer.
Atlanta Police uncovered that the criminal street racing group directed racers to nine different intersections that night, spanning four locations in Gwinnett County, four in Dekalb County, and one in Atlanta. The three jurisdictions then collaborated to investigate the incident.
Jhostin Alexander Bardales was apprehended and booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on multiple counts of Promotion or Organization of Exhibition of Illegal Drag Racing, with additional charges from other jurisdictions possibly pending.
The successful collaboration among Gwinnett County Police, Atlanta Police, and Dekalb County Police was praised, and gratitude was extended to Dekalb County Police and the Atlanta Police Department for their assistance in the operation.