EDMONDS, Wash — The Edmonds Police Department is cracking down on street racing.
The department put out a notice Saturday morning letting the community know they were aware of a street racing event planned to happen Saturday night in the area of Highway 99 and 220th Street near Dick’s Drive-In.
Captain Josh McClure with the Edmonds Police Department said that on multiple nights in the past few months, the area has become a spot for car gatherings, some of which have led to reckless driving and a hostile crowd.
“We've had plenty of concerns from the citizens in that area that hear the revving engines and the burnouts,” said Captain Josh McClure.
Street racing has become a problem in many areas of western Washington, with several incidents reported in areas like Kent and Tacoma.
McClure said they got information about the planned event for Saturday night from other departments who saw posts on social media. They were concerned that this specific event could turn into a public safety issue.
“This was new information specifically calling out they intended to be fairly aggressive and potentially come armed,” said McClure.
Edmonds Police said they would be patrolling the area, and said if people do break the law, consequences will come.
“That is something we are not going to tolerate,” said McClure. “We will take the appropriate action, issue citations, make physical arrests, and impound vehicles.”
Although McClure said they would make arrests if needed, they hoped that by putting out a notice people would choose to not take part in any type of car gathering that could become a public safety issue.