No arrests were made and no citations were issued after an "illegal street takeover" late Friday night and early Saturday morning, according to a Denver police spokesperson.
Video captured by neighbors at the intersection of Broadway and Mississippi and shared with Denver7 shows cars doing donuts, fireworks, and what appears to be something on fire in the intersection.
▶️ Watch a video of the incident here
"[T]he reckless driving and blocking of an intersection seen in the videos are incredibly dangerous and concerning," DPD spokesperson Doug Schepman said in an email to Denver7.
One person who had posted video of the incident on Reddit said their apartment faces the intersection and shared their account of the late-night incident with Denver7 in an email. They said cars started parking along Mississippi and in a nearby dirt lot just before midnight.
Then, cars came from all directions of the intersection "to participate in making the circles, creating a ton of smoke in the process and making it so that no one could cross the intersection," they said in the email.
"There was a whole crowd of people in the intersection whooping and cheering and recording. Then they started lighting off fireworks in the middle of the intersection," they said.
After about 20 minutes, they said, a fire was started in the middle of the intersection.
"The entire event was incredibly loud and anxiety-inducing, especially when the fireworks and fire started," they said.
"After a whole 30 minutes, the police finally came, but just sat there until everyone left to finally exit their vehicles and inspect the road. Another neighbor estimated in a post that the incident went on for about 20 minutes before police arrived.
DPD's Schepman said the street takeover began just before midnight and officers "began arriving on-scene" around 12:16 a.m. "and cleared the area using the lights and sirens on their patrol cars."
"The response time was likely affected by other higher priority calls for service in the district," Schepman said in the email.
According to Schepman, DPD has conducted street racing operations for several years with the goals of preventing it and arresting those involved.
"Street racing is not only dangerous for the involved drivers, but also creates the potential to harm or kill others who are not involved," he said. "Potential penalties the driver faces include jail time and court costs, along with the potential to have their vehicle seized under Denver’s Public Nuisance Abatement ordinance."
DPD has made at least 59 arrests, impounded 44 vehicles and issued 289 citations so far this year related to street racing and speed exhibition, according to Schepman.
