Man accused of organizing street takeovers for drag races in Miami-Dade arrested – NBC 6 South Florida

A man accused of organizing street takeovers for drag races in Miami-Dade County was arrested on Monday.

Javier Benavides, 22, is facing six counts of drag racing/coordinated on the highway.

During his court appearance, a judge set Benavides’ bond at $15,000.

Javier Benavides

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, on Oct. 5, deputies and investigators with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security were tasked with addressing intersection takeover groups throughout the county that block traffic to have street races.

An arrest report said the operations are conducted by plainclothed detectives in unmarked cars, who observe any criminal activity, and then call uniformed authorities for crowd control.

During the dates of Oct. 5 and Dec. 28, detectives identified Benavides being at six intersections, which were posted on a group chat so people could block them off, the report said.

Benavides, the report said, was driving his  Camaro recklessly by revving his engine and going in a circle as people watched and recorded him with their cellphones.

On Benavides’ Instagram account, he would ask people to send videos of his driving after each street takeover he was at, the report said. He would then post those videos on his page.

At each takeover, the report said, there were about 40-50 vehicles that were driving recklessly and about 100 people who were watching.

The six intersections where the takeovers happened included the following:

Oct. 5: 119th Street NW 32nd Avenue

Oct. 5: 167th Street NW 12th Avenue

Nov. 1: 1190 NW 72nd Avenue

Nov. 1: 12639 NW 17th Avenue

Dec. 26: 67th Steet NW 12th Avenue

Dec. 28: 135th Street NW 42nd Avenue

Video from a takeover in northwest Miami-Dade at Northwest 72nd Avenue and 12th Street shows several cars racing down the street, and moments later, officers were seen arriving.

Home surveillance video also captured a huge crowd running outside and through the neighborhood as several cruisers arrived in the area with their sirens activated.

The incident happened early Sunday morning at near Southwest 16th Street and 102nd Avenue

Months after the street takeover, on Feb. 9, Benavides was taken into custody at his home, where his Camaro was parked.

In 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law that increased the penalties for drag racing, street takeovers, stunt driving and other dangerous activities and formally defined the term “coordinated street takeover.”