30 cars seized during illegal drag racing raid on the streets of Wayne County

WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. (WXYZ) - People coming with their decked cars to drag race on the streets of Detroit are being warned to stay away or they will lose their vehicles, even if they just come to watch.

The impound lot at Martin’s Towing in Brownstown Township has cars sitting in it that are tricked out with nitrous, turbo engines, and taunts to other drivers.  The cars people manipulated to street race were caught and confiscated while illegal drag racing in Detroit.  Some of them from last month and others are from a raid early Saturday morning.

Martin’s Towing hooked up and hauled off 17 cars from a raid around 3 a.m. by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and the Detroit Police Department.

“They’ll tell us exactly where to go and where to be and when to go and we follow them,” said Jason Davis, a tow truck driver with Martin’s Towing out of Brownstown Township.

Davis had been out there this morning and said ten tow trucks from different companies hauled away 30 cars in the raid.  Authorities also seized a firearm, small amounts of illegal narcotics, and small amounts of cash.

“They dumped their cars in fields and alleys and driveways and tried to act like they lived there,” said Davis.

The cars taken Saturday raced near Epworth and Linsdale and Joy to Tireman Road, but these cars will not be racing again anytime soon.

“These are not cars we plan on returning to them, these are cars we plan on forfeiting,” said Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon.

A recently drafted nuisance ordinance in Wayne County allows your car to be taken if you participate in or even come to watch drag racing.  Some of these cars belong to parents who didn’t know what their teen had been doing with them at night.

“We’re going to send a very clear message.  That if you drag race in Wayne County and the City of Detroit that you will lose your car.  Not only that, if you are a spectator watching these drag races you will lose your car,” said Sheriff Napoleon.

The sheriff said that criminal activity tends to take place around the drag racing and it can be dangerous for drivers.    

The sheriff’s department arrested a 17-year-old and two adults during the raid Saturday.  Gunshots were fired in the area as officers closed in on the illegal drag racing but no one was hurt.

If you want to report drag racing in your area, you can call the WCSO tip line at (313) 833-3190.  The calls are anonymous.