Atlanta, GA – With streets mostly empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, illegal street racing has become more common.

Over the weekend, Atlanta Police cracked down on the practice, resulting in 44 arrests.

“Additionally, 114 citations were issued, 29 vehicles were impounded, and four firearms were recovered, including a semi-automatic rifle,” the Police Department announced.

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields said, “We pledged to deal with these speeders and reckless drivers who have shown a complete disregard for the safety of others with these dangerous antics. This weekend, with the help of our law enforcement partners, we made inroads. We will continue to impound, arrest and seek costly fines for those individuals who choose Atlanta for this senseless behavior.”

The department’s Contingency Operations Division developed APD’s strategy for tracking illegal street racing and reckless driving.

“Arrests and citations were issued at several locations throughout the City that have been hotspots for such activity in the past, including interstates and Spring Street in Midtown,” the Police Department said. “APD was assisted by the Georgia State Patrol, the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Atlanta Department of Corrections.”

The arrests included traffic offenses like “laying drag, speeding and reckless driving.” Other offenses uncovered during the operation include driving under the influence, drinking in public and possession of marijuana. Police also found one convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

[adsanity id=”59104″ align=”alignleft” /] [adsanity id=”56211″ align=”alignright” /]

[adsanity id=”60706″ align=”alignleft” /] [adsanity id=”59208″ align=”alignright” /]

Decaturish.com is working to keep your community informed about coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. All of our coverage on this topic can be found at Decaturishscrubs.com. If you appreciate our work on this story, please become a paying supporter. For as little as $3 a month, you can help us keep you in the loop about what your community is doing to stop the spread of COVID-19. To become a supporter, click here. 

Want Decaturish delivered to your inbox every day? Sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here. 

[adsanity id=”56022″ align=”aligncenter” /]

[adsanity id=”59106″ align=”alignleft” /]  [adsanity id=”60628″ align=”alignright” /]