Atlanta

Are the state’s strengthened street racing laws helping curb the problem?

ATLANTA — It’s a problem impacting every metro Atlanta community: street racing. But are new laws giving authorities the power they need to stop them?

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden has been reporting on the issue for the last two years and took those questions to the Georgia State Patrol.

Just last weekend, a suspected street racer crashed into multiple vehicles after he was trying to get away through an intersection.

“I’ve been doing this job a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of videos. But these are still some of the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Sgt. Michael Burns with the Georgia State Patrol.

Burns is talking about a viral video posted on Instagram showing the moment a suspected street racer collided with a state trooper on Piedmont Avenue and Rock Springs Road in northeast Atlanta late Friday night.

The suspected driver, now identified as 29-yeard-old Bricker Heisey of Ellenwood, is accused of hitting a spectator and then leading troopers on a short chase.

The chase ended when he lost control and hit another vehicle after a trooper performed a PIT maneuver.

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The pursuit landed Heisey in jail, and his two passengers are now facing charges.

Burns scorned “the complete lack of care for anybody else’s well-being.”

Despite the latest incident, Burns said Georgia’s new law — which carries larger fines and jail time for anyone convicted of organizing, promoting or participating in street racing — combined with the newly formed crime suppression unit has led to the arrests of some of metro Atlanta’s most violent criminals.

Since launching the unit in April 2021, the unit has arrested 27 murder suspects and recovered 148 stolen guns.

They’ve also made 245 arrests on drug charges and recovered more than 300 stolen vehicles involved in street racing.

“We, along with the metro Atlanta agencies, are really working hard to put an end to this,” Burns said. “If you see something, call us.”

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