CHARLOTTE — A street racing incident turned deadly this past weekend in Philadelphia, and Channel 9 has learned that some drivers from Charlotte could have been at the event that took place just before a driver was killed.
According to our ABC News partners in Philadelphia, a state trooper shot and killed a man whose car hit two troopers when law enforcement tried to stop an illegal street racing event on a Philadelphia interstate.
Channel 9′s Genevieve Curtis found that some Charlotte drivers posted on social media that they were in Philly this weekend for the street takeover event. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department told us that this trend does have drivers traveling from city to city, including to the Queen City.
[ >>Download WSOC's apps to stay updated on news and weather ]
Overnight Saturday, Pennsylvania State Police said there was a large group of cars blocking lanes of Interstate 95 and doing burnouts. When troopers responded, Anthony Allegrini Jr., 18, allegedly got into a parked car and drove away, hitting two troopers in the process. One of the troopers fired his gun and hit Allegrini, killing him.
Police said that at one point there were around 300 cars involved in the street takeover. Some of those were known to frequent the street takeovers in Charlotte that Channel 9 has reported on.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- CMPD: Arrests made, guns and drugs seized amid street takeovers in Charlotte
- CMPD officers responded quickly to street takeovers, reports say
- Man attacked after being caught in middle of street takeover in Steele Creek
- ‘No teeth’: Prosecutors face challenges in stopping Charlotte’s street racers
- CMPD continues its push to end street racing in Queen City
- CMPD seizes 60 cars, charges dozens in illegal street racing crackdown
- Drivers caught on camera blocking I-77, performing burnouts, stunts
CMPD Lt. Christopher Rorie oversees the street takeover task force, and he estimated that between a quarter to half of the participants aren’t local.
According to Rorie, CMPD monitors drivers from Charlotte who travel to other cities for takeovers, and they do share information with other agencies. At this point, however, CMPD hasn’t been asked for help in the Philadelphia investigation.
After that deadly takeover, car enthusiasts in Philly are posting on social media asking police for a safe place to do their drifts and burnouts.
That’s something Tanner R., a Charlotte high school student who films cars, told Curtis that he’d like to see here.
“We just want a place where we can do it,” Tanner said. “If it continues to be an issue, I think the city should give us a spot where we can go to legally, and do what we want to do. I think that would solve 99 percent of the issue.”
[ READ MORE: CMPD makes more arrests connected to street takeovers ]
Earlier this year, CMPD announced the department would be cracking down on illegal street takeovers in Charlotte. Several people have been arrested for related charges since then.
(WATCH: How social media likely fuels street takeovers)
This browser does not support the video element.