MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Cellphone video captured a wild and dangerous scene unfolding on Interstate 95 over the weekend.
Cars were purposely stopping and blocking the flow of traffic so a small group could do donuts on the roadway.
Some people even set off fireworks.
As a result, hundreds of cars were backed up on the road.
Lieutenant Alex Camacho with the Florida Highway Patrol told Local 10 News that what happened on I-95 isn’t an isolated incident.
“They think that by stopping the vehicles on the road that they have some kind of controlled environment, but that’s not the case,” said Camacho. “Unfortunately, it’s become a social media trend and not only extremely irresponsible, it’s also extremely dangerous.”
Local 10 Photojournalist Curt Calhoon was stuck in that same traffic after working a late shift.
“All I see are brake lights,” he recalled.
Calhoon captured a similar scene earlier this month on his dashcam when a car spun around in the distance as others blocked traffic.
“Just doing donuts at 11 a.m. in the middle of the intersection,” Calhoon said.
The issue begs the question of why this type of incident is so difficult to stop.
“Typically, these incidents where they shut down the road, they last like three or four minutes, so by the time we get the call and respond, they’ve already opened up and left the scene,” Camacho said.
The Florida Highway Patrol is warning car enthusiasts to not engage in this type of behavior by either participating or just watching, for their own safety and the safety of others.
“At the very minimum, it’s a reckless driving charge, which is a misdemeanor, which is arrestable,” Camacho said. “Your vehicle will be towed.”
FHP also said people who stop and get out of their cars to watch aren’t off the hook either.
They’re not only putting themselves in harm’s way, but they can also be cited.