Two men were arrested in University Place, Washington, for street racing after a deputy caught them in the act. One suspect was going up to 107 mph in a 35 mph zone.
According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, a University Place deputy conducting a speed emphasis on Bridgeport Way W around 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 8 watched two vehicles slow down side by side, then accelerate together at high speed. An attempted traffic stop was unsuccessful.
After searching the area, the deputy found both unlicensed vehicles parked side by side in a nearby parking lot, giving him probable cause for reckless driving and street racing.
The deputy eventually found the suspects in a restaurant, arrested them, and booked two 25-year-old men at the Pierce County Jail, but did not release their identities.
Washington’s Street Racing Law
Under a Washington law adopted in January 2024, any vehicle involved in street racing faces an automatic 72-hour impound hold and can be seized under a search warrant to gather evidence. A second street-racing offense can result in forfeiture of the vehicle.
Both vehicles in this case were impounded under the 72-hour hold following the arrests.
Dash Cam Footage
The deputy submitted a search warrant to obtain dash-cam footage from one of the suspects’ vehicles, and it was approved. After review, the footage showed both vehicles racing side by side, with one reaching 107 mph in a 35-mph zone.
In the dash cam footage, you can see the driver and passenger. The passenger says, “It’s so fast!” You can also see the same passenger later in the body-camera footage saying that the driver would never go that fast with her in the car.
The sheriff’s office said the department has no issue with people enjoying fast cars but made clear that public roads aren’t the place for it, adding that anyone racing on county streets and endangering the community should expect the “full-meal deal.”
People Online Saw the Irony
Online reactions focused on the irony of the dash-cam evidence. Several commenters joked that the suspects had essentially recorded their own crime in full detail, with one calling it “self-snitching.”
Others joked that the suspects’ parents likely wouldn’t be happy once they found out, while another reminisced about not having mobile video on the road in their younger years. One commenter also pointed out that racetracks regularly offer designated test-and-tune sessions for people who want to push their cars to those speeds legally.
Both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.