City of Austin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASERelease Date:
Contact: Public Information Office 512-974-5017 Email
The multi-agency car club operation resulted in 25 vehicles being towed. Of those, 22 were towed following an arrest, two were impounded for further investigation and one was towed after it was left behind at the scene.
A total of 22 arrests were made during the operation, including two juveniles who were released to family members. There were 13 charges for misdemeanor reckless driving, five misdemeanor arrests for deadly conduct, two misdemeanor arrests for possession of marijuana and three misdemeanor arrests for unlawful carry of a weapon. One person was arrested for an outstanding felony warrant and the other for felon in possession of a firearm.
There were also seven guns seized. Two of the guns were confirmed stolen.
ORIGINAL RELEASE:
The Austin Police Department (APD) has noted significant levels of dangerous and criminal activity in the parking lot located at 12625 N. IH-35 since the beginning of summer.
APD made 10 arrests from June 1 to September 9, 2020. During that time period, officers responded to 19 reports of shots fired, seized seven firearms, documented one auto theft, one robbery, and three instances of unlawful carry, among other crimes. These activities are occurring in conjunction with car-club gatherings. A quick online search yields hours of Snapchat, YouTube, and Facebook footage of the unlawful behavior taking place at these events. Most alarming is the presence of children and their close proximity to cars performing burnouts, the prevalence of illegal guns and drugs, the ongoing damage to private property like this and the fear these activities are creating for area residents and business owners.
Additional footage and here.
In response to community concerns and the uptick in violence, APD conducted an operation on September 12, 2020, in partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety, Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Round Rock Police Department and the Pflugerville Police Department. The goal of the operation was to interrupt the illegal activity associated with these car clubs that draw individuals from all over the state.