ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 Pete Muller, organizer of the \u201cCars and Coffee\u201d event, expressed shock after two attendees were arrested for street racing following the event outside Full Sail University on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Muller, who puts significant effort into ensuring the safety of participants, reported that roughly 30 people gathered in the street to watch as vehicles began leaving the lot, leading to dangerous stunts from a driver in a BMW.<\/p>\n
During the incident, Orange County Sheriff Lieutenant Mike Crabb stated, \u201cThere was no issues at all until they decided to pull out.\u201d He also warned that the reckless behavior presented risks to bystanders, saying it \u201ccould have easily lost control gone up on the curb and taken out ten or fifteen people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laurie Broadus, whose son Shawn died in a street racing incident on Semoran Boulevard in 2006, reflected on the dangers of street racing. \u201cMy son was killed on 2:20 in the afternoon on Semoran. So it doesn\u2019t matter day or night. It\u2019s an adrenaline rush,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Despite the troubling incident, Lt. Crabb reported a decrease in street racing arrests, noting, \u201cLast year they made 65 arrests, this year it\u2019s down to 45 arrests.\u201d He emphasized that the majority of car meetups, including \u201cPark and Chills,\u201d have not caused issues, stating, \u201cIt\u2019s the activity from a very small percentage that creates havoc and endangers the public that we have issues with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Muller expressed concern about the negative image created by such incidents, remarking, \u201cIt\u2019s annoying because it creates a bad image for the car scene, the legitimate car scene.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a consequence of the incidents, a spokesperson for Full Sail University announced that there would be no future events of \u201cCars and Coffee\u201d held at their location.<\/p>\n
With the event no longer hosted at Full Sail University, future car meetups may need to find new locations to gather safely.<\/p>\n
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