Videos posted to social media show street racers blocking parts of I-10, doing fiery stunts overnight in Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Videos posted to social media appear to show street racers blocking parts of Interstate 10 and performing fiery car stunts overnight in Baton Rouge.

The event was part of a ‘Christmas Meet,’ which was posted on Instagram a few days ago.

Baton Rouge Police responded to a call about people doing car stunts on Siegen Lane at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, December 18.

A spokesman with the agency says officers gave out citations and towed at least one vehicle.

“This will not be tolerated,” said Sgt. L’Jean McKneely with BRPD.

This comes just months after the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council approved new penalties for stunt driving and spectators on public roads across the parish.

First-time violators could face a $1,000 fine, instead of the previous amount of $500. People could also face prison time for 10 to 90 days for each separate offense. Violators could also get their licenses suspended, and their vehicles could be removed and impounded by law enforcement.

Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul and his officers helped work on the ordinance with Councilman Rowdy Gaudet, to add “more tools in the toolbox” to stop it from happening.

Over the summer, Baton Rouge Police said they were being ‘proactive’ in cracking down on these car stunts.

The public has been calling for action ever since the Garth Brooks concert back on April 30, where stunt drivers shut down College Drive.

“You can never legislate someone’s behavior. We as a community, we put in policies around not littering, we put in policies around not illegal dumping. Well there’s people who are still going to contribute to those types of activities,” said Gaudet.

Councilman Gaudet says if the current fines for car stunts aren’t working, council members may need to go back to the drawing board to find a better solution to keep the public safe.

“We put in these harsher penalties in August of this year, so usually 6 or 7 months, we’ll see what the results are. We’ll get some data around what law enforcement is seeing and whether the tools that we try to implement are effective, and then are there ways that we can improve,” said Gaudet.

Officials with BRPD say more arrests could be coming in this case.

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