The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office arrested seven drivers deputies said tried to take over the intersection at Jupiter Farms Road and Indiantown Road on Friday.
Four are teenagers and six face felony charges, the agency announced Saturday. Deputies charged the youngest with aggravated battery on a law-enforcement officer, though most of the remaining charges stem from the group’s attempt to flee from deputies. The drivers range in age from 16 to 26.
Law-enforcement agencies across South Florida have reported recent incidents of “street takeovers,” where drivers will block off an intersection to make space for other vehicles to perform stunts.
In Florida, drivers who engage in a street takeover, stunt driving or racing risk spending time in jail, paying a fine and temporarily losing their driver’s license. An amendment to the state statute that governs racing and stunt driving last year allows officers to use videos posted to social media to identify and arrest violators suspected of racing or stunt driving.
Sheriff’s officials called Friday’s roundup Operation Hot Wheels.