Police in Brockton are cracking down after hundreds of vehicles descended on the city for large car meetups over the weekend. Authorities estimate roughly 300 cars took part, leading to six arrests.
Also new tonight at 6, Brockton Police taking aim
at a new initiative preventing car meetups.
Boston 25's Bob Ward explains why a simple
but large gathering can quickly become a cause for concern.
Brockton Police say they're doing everything they can to stop
car meetups, but they say it is a constant issue.
And as they gear up for another weekend of enforcement, they say
more than 300 cars came to the city last weekend for car meetups.
Early Saturday morning, long after stores closed,
Brockton police say this shopping plaza parking lot
was filled with cars in a so-called car meetup.
These meetups are organized and advertised on social media,
and they attract people from all over New England.
At this car meetup, Brockton police counted as many as 150 vehicles.
Police seized two unlicensed guns, and they made two arrests.
Police estimate over the weekend,
300 cars came to Brockton for car meetups.
And in total, they made six arrests.
Creates a significant, uh...
Significant traffic problem in the area, even as we're dispersing them,
when they grow to be that large in size, as we're dispersing them,
some of them take to the streets at high rates of speed.
Definitely creates a public safety risk.
Car meetups are a constant problem throughout Massachusetts.
Last year, Worcester police arrested so many people for car meetups,
they used buses to take them to booking.
In Boston, a street takeover got so out of control,
a Boston police cruiser was set on fire.
Back in Brockton, residents tell me they're tired of car meetups
and street takeovers and the trouble they bring.
This shouldn't be happening continuously.
He has to be stopped.
Having guns, you know,
in a place like that where people are shopping, so it's not good.
Brockton police officers, detectives,
and the department's strategic crime reduction unit
spent the weekend targeting car meet-ups
and breaking them up before anyone got hurt.
It's an endless cat-and-mouse effort that will continue.
If you come to Brockton with the goal of driving recklessly
and behaving inappropriately,
you're not welcome in our city.
It is hoped after last weekend's enforcement,
this weekend things might settle down.
In Brockton, I'm Bob Ward for your local station, Boston 25 News.
