MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Two men have been arrested on various charges in connection with illegal drag racing in Miami-Dade County, authorities announced.
Micheal D. Trillo, 20, of Miami, was arrested last Tuesday on charges of facilitating drag racing on a highway.
Eric Gotay, 31, of Plantation, was taken into custody Saturday on 44 counts of facilitating drag racing on highways/roadways, along with charges of engaging in a riot, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated fleeing, attempting to elude an officer after an accident, leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license.
According to their arrest reports, the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Homeland Security Bureau began an investigation into the street racing activities on Aug. 27.
Police said from that time until their arrests, both men engaged in organized car meets “for the sole purpose of engaging in reckless and dangerous actions across our county, which include drag racing, burnouts, sliding, drifting and donuts.”
Gotay’s arrest report states that he organized and coordinated multiple “street takeovers and drifting shows,” and confessed to police that he was the creator and administrator of various chat groups which were used to share flyers and locations to conduct these street takeovers and drifting shows.
Police said drivers would show up within minutes to the locations Gotay would share on the group chats and Gotay would “advise participants to block police from entering the location by using a bullhorn loudspeaker and/or texting a message in the chats for the participants to see.”
The arrests are part of a six month investigation by MDPD, authorities said.
In addition to the street racing, police said these events have led to numerous shootings and vehicular manslaughters throughout the county.