Fairfax County police released wild video of a “street takeover” that left one officer injured and a cruiser damaged last weekend.
Hundreds of people gathered in Springfield, Virginia, at around 3 a.m. on Sunday to watch drivers do donuts and drive recklessly at a car meetup. Police Chief Kevin Davis said the purpose of the gathering was “utter chaos and disorder,” and that it proved dangerous for the first officer to respond to the scene.
“I believe we narrowly escaped a line-of-duty death scenario of our own. Because one of our officers was surrounded by a bunch of masked, tough-guy-wannabe-thugs who surrounded her car, and acted in a criminal manner, in a way that I’ll tell you is never going to happen again in Fairfax County,” Davis told reporters at a news conference.
The police chief said the “street takeover” in a parking lot in the 6600 block of Electronic Drive in Springfield endangered the lives of both the participants and bystanders. An officer on duty responded after she witnessed several vehicles pull into the lot and begin to drive recklessly.
Police say hundreds of people went to a car meetup on Sunday and watched cars being driven recklessly, endangering the drivers and bystanders. Here, a masked individual is pictured holding what appears to be a rifle while hanging out a car window. (Fairfax County Police Department)
Photos released by police showed at least one individual waving a rifle while hanging outside of a vehicle.
Dashcam video released by the police department shows a large group of masked individuals surrounding the officer’s cruiser. At least one person attempted to remove the license plate from her vehicle, and others blocked a second cruiser that arrived at the scene.
Fairfax County Police said some at the meetup attempted to get inside the cruiser while others banged on the windows. Davis said the officer exhibited “a ton of grace under pressure in that very volatile scenario.”
The police chief said dozens of officers responded “en masse” to assist.
“So, what does that mean for residential and business communities? It means you didn’t have any cops protecting your neighborhoods, your communities, your businesses because these criminals diverted all of our attention to handle an attack on one of our police officers,” Davis said.
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Ronal Urrea-Hernandez, 18, was identified as the driver of a vehicle that struck a police officer, according to Fairfax County police. (Fairfax County Police)
Once backup arrived, the mob of drivers and bystanders began to dissipate.
Four people have been charged in connection with the incident.
Carlos A. Martinez Jr., 18, was apprehended at the scene and charged with reckless driving after he drove down the wrong side of the road and crashed into a cruiser, FOX 5 DC reported. He was reportedly released on a summons.
One driver struck an officer with their car and then fled the scene. The officer sustained minor injuries. Another police officer initiated a vehicle pursuit that ended without an arrest.
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Police obtained an arrest warrant for Dylan Heckard, 20, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, for abduction, assault on a law enforcement officer, obstruction of justice and wearing a mask in public. (Fairfax County Police Department)
The suspected hit-and-run driver was later identified as Ronal Urrea-Hernandez, 18. Police have obtained a warrant for his arrest for felony hit-and-run, speed to elude and no operator’s license.
Another suspect wanted by police is 20-year-old Dylan Heckard, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Police identified Heckard after he posted a selfie making a rude hand gesture on social media. His charges include assault on law enforcement and abduction for jumping on the police cruiser and preventing the officer from leaving.
A 17-year-old, who was not identified because they are a minor, is also being charged.
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Davis said police have created a Civil Disturbance team to identify where these street takeovers are planned and respond to the incidents before they become dangerous.
“This is not going to happen again in Fairfax County,” Davis said.
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