Hundreds of charges laid and 70 people arrested in street racing bust, police say
COVID-19 pandemic has seen significant rise in street racing in GTA, police say
A York Regional Police-led investigation into illegal street racing groups across the GTA has resulted in hundreds of charges, police say.
At a Tuesday morning news conference, police said that an investigation into street racing called Project Takeover has led to 279 provincial offence charges, 67 criminal charges, 70 arrests, 57 licence suspensions and 62 impounded vehicles.
"These groups were highly organized, focused on illegally taking over intersections, pre-arranging street races and stunt demonstrations for hundreds of attendees at locations across the GTA," York police Chief Jim MacSween said of the targeted street racing organizers.
Police say they were able to track street racing groups through surveillance technology, social media and with York police's helicopter.
"To tackle the growing sophistication of these groups, we targeted not only the organizers of these groups but the participants of them as well," MacSween said.
The Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional Police and Ontario Provincial Police worked closely with York throughout the investigation that began in May 2021, he added.
York police Sgt. Chi Bhatt says street racing organizers attempt to evade police by constantly moving locations. And that is why, he says, it is crucial that police forces continue to work closely together.
"They move from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, hoping that we are going to stop our enforcement efforts once we reach a border," Bhatt says.
"But wherever they go, we will be there as a group."
The GTA has seen a large increase in stunt driving and street racing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
"Racing on our roads and highways has reached historic levels in 2020," OPP Deputy Commissioner Rose Di Marco said. "OPP officers laid 8,270 charges last year against drivers who were travelling 50 km/h over the speed limit."
The Ontario government recently brought forward legislation that introduces harsher penalties against people caught stunt driving or street racing. Driver's licence suspensions have increased from seven days to 30 day suspensions, and vehicle impoundment periods have increased from seven to 14 days.
In a news release on Project Takeover, police say that they will continue to combat street racing across the GTA through Project Erase, an annual investigation into street racing that takes place throughout the summer.