Police: 12 charged in Easter street racing takeover of Roswell intersection

ROSWELL, Ga. - Officers have charged a dozen suspects connected to a street racing event that took over a Roswell intersection on Easter Sunday. Police said only a few were actually driving the cars.

On April 17 around 7 p.m., traffic came to a complete standstill for several minutes at Rucker Road and Houze Roads by drivers and a crowd of 50 to 100 spectators, with investigators saying video footage showed street racers doing burn-outs, donuts, and other tricks.

Police called the incident not only rude, but disruptive and extremely dangerous.

"It's not just doing donuts. There's a very high likelihood that the behavior they're engaged in and the crowd surrounding them that somebody is going to get hurt," said Roswell Police Officer Tim Lupo.

When the first officer responded, officials said some in the crowd got violent, surrounding her patrol SUV and kicking the vehicle. A large dent was made in the officer's patrol car where at least one of the people kicked it.

Since this happened on Easter Sunday, investigators have been trying to identify those involved.

"Our investigators pulled dash cam and body cam footage from officers at the scene. We put out some information to the public for any video or witness information they had, we also worked closely with *our law partners who had similar intersection takeovers that same day," said Officer Lupo.

Police believe this same crowd shut down the intersection of North Arnold Mill and Barnes Road in Cherokee County before coming to Roswell.

After the Roswell Police Department and Cherokee County Sheriff's Office put out a call asking for tips about possible suspects, officials say they have been able to charge 12 people for their involvement in the event.

"These arrests send a clear message, not just from the Roswell Police Department but from our communities as well: reckless and stunt driving in our cities won’t be tolerated," Police Chief James Conroy said in a statement. "RPD has gathered a wealth of video and photographic evidence, both from our own investigator’s diligent work and the public, all of which we’ve shared with our neighboring jurisdictions for additional charges where applicable." 

Anthony Marquez-Argueta and Luis Perea-Perez (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)

A total of 12 people have been charged in Roswell, police said four were actually driving cars, the others were charged with "non-driver participant" under Roswell's Enhanced Reckless Driving ordinance that was adopted last year.

The list of the people charged is below:

• Anthony Marquez-Argueta, 21, of Atlanta, charged with interference with government property, obstruction of law enforcement officers, and obstructing highways,
• Luis Perea-Perez, 26, of Marietta, charged with reckless stunt driving and driving on a suspended driver's license,
• Juan Christopher Torres Herrera, 19, of Lawrenceville, charged with reckless stunt driving and driving on a suspended driver's license,
• Jhoan Castro-Delgado, 21, of Bethlehem (warrants obtained, not yet in custody), charged with reckless stunt driving, fleeing, driving on the wrong side of the road,
• Nikolas Fernandez, 19, of Lilburn, charged with non-driver participation in street racing or reckless driving exhibitions,
• Taylor Levey, 20, of Roswell, charged with non-driver participation in street racing or reckless driving exhibitions,
• Osman Yildirim, 18, of Marietta, charged with non-driver participation in street racing or reckless driving exhibitions,
• An unnamed juvenile Female, 17, of Alpharetta, charged with non-driver participation in street racing or reckless driving exhibitions,
• Kevin Valencia, 19, of Smyrna, charged with non-driver participation in street racing or reckless driving exhibitions,
• Mario Ruiz, 18, of Buford, charged with non-driver participation in street racing or reckless driving exhibitions,
• Ericka Rodriguez-Caba, 22, of Sugar Hill, charged with non-driver participation in street racing or reckless driving exhibitions,
• Jose Serna-Ruvalcaba, 19, of Lawrenceville, charged with disorderly conduct.

"These are people who were spectators or assisting in shutting down the intersection, people who were in the pit videoing it and putting the information online. These are organized and planned events and that's why we have that city ordinance that allows us to charge not just the drivers but the people who are helping to organize and facilitate these events," said Officer Lupo.

Police said this is the largest number of people charged for one event under the city's new ordinance. The fine for "non-driver participant" is $1,000 and/or 30 days in jail.

Police said they're not done yet. They're still asking the public for more videos or pictures to help identify others who were involved.

If you have any other information about the incident or where Jhoan Castro-Delgado is, please call the Roswell Police Traffic Enforcement Unit at 770-640-4100 or Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS(8477).