RIVERVIEW, Fla. — Ten people, including two 17-year-olds, face charges for street racing in a Riverview neighborhood.
The Florida Highway Patrol made the arrests over the Labor Day weekend.
The community, including a family still traumatized by what happened, hopes the arrests send a message to others to stay out of their neighborhood.
You can still see some of the residual damage in front of Darrian Mitchell’s home, where a chunk of stucco was knocked away at the end of a pursuit.
Mitchell’s family says it was frightening.
The stop in front of his home was one of several the Florida Highway Patrol made after a street racing takeover incident along Pradera Reserve Boulevard.
“They were screaming at the guy,” Mitchell recalled. “He was literally right there in front of the house. And his car was in our yard.”
The entire neighborhood still shows scars from the incident.
There are tire marks on the road, on the grass, and sidewalks. And that chunk of plaster taken out of Mitchell's home where one of the cars was brought to a stop.
“There's a trooper smashed into that car, another trooper in front of that car, and there are guns are drawn, and they're yelling, 'Get on the ground. Get on the ground!'” Darrian’s wife Jonelle said, recounting what happened.
Their daughter, Domonique, says occasionally cars will screech their tires or rev their engines down the street from them, but this was different.
“It was like 40 to 50 cars just speeding throughout the neighborhood and going down there and then I heard the sirens,” Domonique said.
FHP says Saturday night's event had been publicized on social media. While 10 people were charged, more than a hundred showed up, shutting down the street just feet from a local playground.
Neighbors hope these arrests send a message.
“It's not victimless. It's not fun. What if a kid was walking? What if an adult was walking with their dogs?” Darrian said. “Yeah, they did property damage and all, they could've killed themselves.”
“Some people just wanted to go out and have fun,” Domonique said. “But there are real people living here. Real families come here to try to live their life. And you’re just disturbing us. And it's not fair. And it's not OK.”
Investigators say those arrested face charges ranging from unlawful racing to drug possession.
They say they also found three weapons in the cars and took possession of four of the vehicles.
FHP also sent out a statement reminding people that even people who aren't racing, but merely observing or riding in the cars, could also face charges.