Multi-agency response to Atlanta street racing leads to more than seven arrests

Caption

Crowds gather downtown to watch cars laying drag and street racing over the weekend in Atlanta early April.

Credit: WSB

As chaotic scenes of stunt driving and street racing around the Georgia State University campus in downtown Atlanta circulated on social media this weekend, a multi-agency response made more than seven arrests.

According to a report from the Atlanta Police Department, APD officers along with the Georgia State Patrol, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State University Police, and Capitol Police made the arrests April 1 through April 3.

The combined multi-jurisdictional response resulted in five arrests by the Georgia State Patrol, one arrest by Capitol Police, and 1 arrest by APD.

“Additional arrests have been made,” APD spokesman Anthony W. Grant said in a media statement. “As this was multi-jurisdictional effort, we are currently working to gather additional information pertaining to those arrests.”

On April 3, around 12:43 a.m., APD officers observed an individual in a grey Chrysler 300 laying drag at at 105 Courtland Street. Officers conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Isaiah Hudson, 20.

Hudson was placed into custody and charged with laying drag, reckless driving, and improper display of license plates. Officers also recovered two firearms — an AR-15 and a Glock 22 — from Hudson’s possession following his arrests. Officers impounded Hudson’s vehicle and he was transported to the Atlanta City Detention Center.

On April 2, officers were patrolling the area of Courtland Street when they observed a male driving a Ford F-250 driving recklessly and laying drag. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and identified the driver as Justin Leon Hardemon, 23. He was arrested and charged with laying drag and reckless driving and was transported to the Atlanta City Detention Center.

Officer Grant said in the statement that “deterring street racing activity is a top priority for our department as the summer approaches and we will continue to work alongside multiple neighboring agencies to arrest street racing offenders, as well impound any vehicles involved in street racing activity.”

Georgia State University released a statement regarding the weekend events, noting that police and security officers have shut down large parties at nearby off-campus apartment complexes for the last several weeks.

The statement said students and non-students have been gathering in the street near the university’s housing corridor along Piedmont Avenue on the Atlanta campus. “Some of the behavior has been disorderly, and some has been unlawful,” the statement said.

Here is the rest of the GSU statement:

"This past weekend, a driver fired shots on Saturday night after individuals jumped on and damaged his vehicle. There were also two shooting incidents Sunday evening in the area, where non-GSU individuals were struck by gunfire. Georgia State has increased its police presence in the area, restricted guest access in on-campus University Housing, and is working closely with off-campus property owners to stop these events.

"GSUPD, in conjunction with Georgia State Patrol and the Atlanta Police Department, are reviewing video surveillance footage and social media posts to identify those involved in any unlawful behavior and will aggressively prosecute all involved that have been identified as committing any criminal acts. The surveillance video will also be shared with our Office of the Dean of Students to identify any Student Code of Conduct violations. Whether on or off campus, students can be held accountable through Student Conduct for behaviors that put themselves or the GSU community at risk.

"More generally, the university has completed a full campus safety assessment and is developing and implementing interventions. We will continue to make every effort to make the campus a safe place for all. If you have been a victim of crime on or off campus, contact the GSU Office of Victim Assistance here: https://victimassistance.gsu.edu."

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.