Memphis Police Department (MPD) Interim Chief C.J. Davis confirmed at a Tuesday town hall that police seized 10 vehicles from reckless drivers over Memorial Day weekend to curb the number of street takeovers in the city.
Davis was joined by Memphis Mayor Paul Young and other Memphis officials at a town hall in Raleigh. After the mayor revealed his plans to address crime in the city, Davis answered questions about the city’s ongoing efforts to curtail illegal street takeovers.
“That level of vehicle havoc in our community is a nuisance,” said Davis. She confirmed MPD seized a total of 10 vehicles over the holiday weekend.
She explained, “We are stiffening our approach on taking a vehicle from a person that commits these types of acts.”
Action News 5 detailed two such seizures, explaining that alleged reckless drivers Pablo Camacho-Valentin and Jalen Fisher were released without their vehicles after being arrested over the holiday.
According to the outlet, Camacho-Valentin “was speeding, weaving in and out of traffic, and cutting other vehicles off” and fled when an officer attempted to pull him over. His orange Dodge Charger was seized by police.
Fisher, by contrast, was reportedly spotted by officers amid “a large group of vehicles performing donuts and driving recklessly.” Action News 5 reported that he allegedly “sped away in a white Infiniti Q50 Poplar” that was disabled by police during their pursuit and is now impounded by MPD.
Video posted to the social media platform X suggests the illegal block party that resulted in a shooting which left at least two dead and multiple wounded involved a street takeover, or at least similar behavior using vehicles. Following that event, Davis urged Memphis residents to come forward with information about the culprits.
Memphis police’s action to curb street takeovers comes after the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law creating a street racing task force to “study and determine best practices for curbing illegal street racing” in the state. The bill is currently awaiting Governor Bill Lee’s signature.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Car” by Memphis Police Department.
