JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 The Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office and Florida Highway Patrol have made 22 arrests in connection with \u201cOperation Braking News,\u201d a crackdown on racing at car meet-up events around Jacksonville.<\/p>\n
News4JAX found that about a dozen people were booked into the Duval County jail over the weekend on charges tied to street racing after a video circulating online appeared to show a large car gathering at Tinseltown with a heavy law enforcement response.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters and FHP Capt. Kenneth Boatright will announce the results of the operation during a news conference at 12:05 p.m. Tuesday.<\/p>\n
When News4JAX reviewed the JSO inmate search, we found at least a dozen bookings between Saturday and Sunday for charges including violating Florida\u2019s street racing\/stunt driving law, operating a motor vehicle in a \u201cstreet takeover,\u201d racing on a highway (including passenger\/spectator charges), and fleeing or eluding.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, News4JAX crews on Saturday night observed a law enforcement presence near the movie theater in the Tinseltown area off Southside Boulevard. Crews also saw vehicles being towed, including luxury cars. At the time, News4JAX did not receive details on what prompted the response.<\/p>\n
On Monday, an Instagram reel using News4JAX video gained tens of thousands of views. The reel appears to show cars gathered in a Tinseltown parking lot, burnouts and then a large law enforcement response.<\/p>\n
A worker at a nearby business said he watched it happen.<\/p>\n
Seth Ouk, a sous chef at Soupa Noodle Bar in Tinseltown, told News4JAX he saw a large group of cars arrive and said drivers were showing off their cars when police moved in.<\/p>\n
\u201cNormally, I\u2019ll see the cars in the Riverside area or something, but there were a bunch of dudes they come over here, and this particular section, and they meet up do burnouts,\u201d Ouk said.<\/p>\n
Tire marks in the Tinseltown parking lot after weekend car meet up. (News4JAX)<\/p>\n
Ouk said the law enforcement response appeared coordinated. He said he saw about 20 police cars and a helicopter in the sky.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis time it was like really quiet like clockwork \u2014 a bunch of cops came around and stopped all the exits,\u201d Ouk said. \u201cThere were people coming out of the movie theater and they were siphoning them out of this little plaza that we have over here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen a sting like that. It was actually pretty crazy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n