Police target illegal racing

A cooperative effort by multiple state and local police departments to crack down on illegal street racing in Salt Lake County resulted in several arrests and numerous traffic citations early Saturday.

Salt Lake City police spearheaded the operation and used about 70 officers from agencies such as the West Valley City Police Department, the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit, Motor Vehicle Enforcement and the Utah Highway Patrol.

The plan was to swoop in on an area where street racers were believed to be hanging out on Salt Lake City's west side and catch them in the act. If the racers tried to flee, surrounding agencies would already have the area surrounded and would block off all possible exit routes. One problem officers said they had run into in the past was that the street racers were using spotters outside the racing area, who would call ahead on cell phones and warn when police were coming.

About 12:30 a.m., police learned a group of 50 to 60 cars was gathering in one location. But by the time police were ready to start their operation, the cars were gone.

Police still contended the night was a success, however, after saturating other known racing hot spots with numerous officers and making traffic stops for "any and every" violation.

About 1:30 a.m., at least eight patrol cars had vehicles pulled over along 5600 West near 2100 South in less than a one-mile stretch. Red and blue flashing lights from the police vehicles could be seen up and down the road.

Near the International Center, a car was pulled over and cited with having no front license plate. Police said the young man in the car tried to give the officer false information. He was arrested and his car was impounded.

A few minutes later, another car was pulled over near 5600 West. Police believed the vehicle, a Nissan Skyline GTR V-Spec, might be a street racer and that its driver might be looking for the rest of his group. The car was pulled over and the driver was cited with having no front license plate and an illegal muffler, the type street racers commonly put on their vehicles. The driver said it was the second time he had been pulled over on 5600 West that night. As soon as the officers were done with him, he headed for the freeway.