As part of a coordinated enforcement effort, the Maryland automobile Rally Task Force broke up several illegal automobile rallies in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties early Saturday. Three people were arrested, including a Silver Spring man who was charged with various traffic crimes.
Burtonsville’s Columbia Pike was one of the eight targeted places, when police attempted to stop crowds of people from participating in disorderly behavior such as exhibition driving and road closures.
Members of the Maryland automobile Rally Task Force and partner law enforcement agencies destroyed several large-scale unlawful automobile rallies and made three arrests in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties on Saturday, according to the Maryland State Police.
Oscar Rodriguez, 20, of Lanham, Jose Capistran-Lopez, 21, of Silver Spring, and William Reese, 24, of Catonsville, are among those detained. Reese is accused of illegally carrying a loaded weapon in his car. Rodriguez faces charges of exhibition driving, malicious property destruction, and disruptive conduct. Capistran-Lopez faces charges of reckless driving, exhibition driving, failure to regulate speed to prevent collision, fleeing the scene of a property damage collision, and other traffic-related offenses. The Prince George’s County Detention Center received all three of them.
Public highways, industrial areas, and parking lots in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties were the target of this proactive, well-coordinated enforcement campaign. On Saturday, August 2, the demolition operation began at 12 a.m. and involved eight significant unlawful exhibition driving events. Roadway shutdowns, exhibition driving, and unruly conduct by crowds of up to 400 individuals were prevented by high visibility enforcement and patrols around the region at the following locations:
Largo, 950 Largo Center Drive
Woodyard Road and Branch Avenue, Clinton
Arcy Road, 8759 D, District Heights
Laurel, 14401 Sweitzer Lane
15791 Burtonsville’s Columbia Pike
Laurel, 13201 Mid Atlantic Boulevard
Lanham, 10100 Willowdale Road
1951 Hyattsville, S. Club Drive
The Maryland State Police, along with police agencies from Prince George’s, Montgomery, Howard, Baltimore, Baltimore City, and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, make up the Maryland Car Rally Task Force. In order to combat unlawful exhibition driving across the state, this cooperative effort is still essential.
