THONOTOSASSA, Fla. (CBS12) — A massive, 100-car street takeover on I-75 in Florida spiraled into a chaotic 140-mph police pursuit early Saturday, ending with four joyriders in cuffs.
A trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol says he was doing traffic control when an alert broadcast that 100 cars were blocking all northbound lanes near Mile Marker 266 in Thonotosassa to “perform burnouts.”
When law enforcement arrived around 1:30 a.m. to disperse the crowd, the motorists reportedly began fleeing.
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One trooper spotted a lime green BMW escaping at a high rate of speed and initiated a pursuit as the car wove through traffic with hazard lights on and reached speeds of 140 mph in a 70 mph zone, per FHP.
Troopers say the vehicle exited onto Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, ran a red light at the Dona Michelle Drive intersection, and finally pulled into a parking lot where officers conducted a traffic stop.
The driver, 25-year-old Yulian Torres Lugo, was arrested and charged with aggravated fleeing to elude and participating in a coordinated street takeover. The three passengers—18-year-old Mason Anthony Salois, 18-year-old Julia Lynn Paxton, and 24-year-old Madison Marie Rudeck, who is the registered owner of the vehicle—were all charged as passengers in an active street takeover under Florida law.