Six people have been arrested and charged with taking part in illegal, large-scale car rallies in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
All of them are from Maryland and range in age from 19 to 24. Terrel Marshall, 22, of Suitland; Alex Agustin, 22, of Laurel; Kyle Allen, 24, of Lanham; Jarard Walters, 21, of Essex; Malik Coleman, 24, of Baltimore and London Flores, 19, of Silver Spring, are all being charged in connection with three separate rallies.
Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo said the charges include disorderly conduct, reckless driving and malicious destruction of property, among other charges. They could face fines or possible prison time.
“These takeovers, as they call them, involve large groups of people and they go in and they take over intersections or streets,” Russo said. “They perform their stunts — skidding their wheels or spinning their wheels — and oftentimes end up destroying property.”
The arrests are part of a new effort by Maryland State Police and local law enforcement to crack down on the disruptive and potentially dangerous events.
The Maryland Car Rally Task Force includes Maryland State Police, the Maryland Transportation Authority police, Baltimore City police and police departments in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
Russo said the task force is also increasing patrols in known hot spots.
Two recent car meetups in Prince George’s County involved deadly shootings, including one in June in Accokeek.
Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, are also working to curb street takeovers as part of a summer crime prevention initiative.
