CLEVELAND, Ohio — After a weekend filled with what the police are calling extremely dangerous driving, Cleveland police are still searching for those responsible, but they say they need the community’s help.
Over Memorial Day weekend, after living downtown for a few years, Eric Miranda wasn't surprised to hear the sounds of shrilling tires.
“I heard a bunch of squealing and loud engines, and you know that’s typical for a little bit,” said Miranda.
Usually, Miranda says he would hear one or two cars but this time was different. He heard multiple over the span of half an hour.
“This was a large procession and I looked out my window and saw a bunch of the muscle cars all gathering all down this street one of them made a crazy U-turn and almost got in a accident,” said Miranda.
Videos shared with News 5 show cars drifting, racing and creating donuts across multiple neighborhoods, including downtown and Ohio City.
“One particular video we're aware of there was an individual that started a fire, right under or right near the Playhouse Square on Euclid Avenue,” said Freddy Diaz, Cleveland Police Public Information Officer
Cleveland police say once they arrived on the scene, all of the cars dispersed. They are investigating the driving they call reckless and said they have seen the many social media posts.
“People are posting pictures, selfies, about these car meets and sort of bragging about these situations. It's sad that individuals think this is the right thing to do,” said Sargent Diaz.
As of now, no arrests have been made. Across the nation, they have seen an increase in car meet-ups, but to stop them, the police say they need the public's help.
“It's kind of cliché, but you see something, say something, but that's very applicable in this situation where this is not just one or two people that, show up, this is multiple individuals and I think everyone's responsibility to bring that to the light in order to keep our community safe,” said Diaz.
In Playhouse Square, not far from where Eric lives, you can still see the tire marks on the ground. Miranda believes it'll take more than the community to keep the city roads safe.
“There’s something going wrong in that system where either we need to make sure the prosecution are happening once the police catch the people or we need officers on the streets,” said Miranda.
We did reach out to Downtown Cleveland Inc. regarding the weekend activity, and they released the following statement:
Downtown Cleveland, Inc. condemns the unsafe use of our roadways, and we are committed to collaborating with the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Division of Police to help create a safe, welcoming environment downtown. This incident underscores the need for continued investment in infrastructure improvements, including traffic calming measures which can significantly reduce dangerous driving behavior. Our goal is to ensure that our roadways, sidewalks and crosswalks are safe and accessible for all – pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike.
Anyone with information regarding those drivers is asked to contact Cleveland Police.
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