GRPD promises consequences for dangerous car meetups
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Grand Rapids Police Department is cracking down on dangerous car meetups.
GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom said car meetups are usually organized on social media and bring groups of people to one place to show off vehicles.
“They’ll admire each other’s cars, nothing illegal,” Winstrom said.
That can quickly change with an activity known as a “slide show.”
“Where then people will do extremely dangerous maneuvers with the vehicle. They’ll often block all access to the intersection,” Winstrom said.
Winstrom said those illegal actions can lead to an atmosphere of chaos and people getting hurt.
Metro Grand Rapids police promise crackdown on ‘car meetups’
In May 2023, a 21-year-old man was injured in a shooting at a meetup in Cascade Township. In July, a drag race in Grand Rapids caused a crash in which a woman was seriously injured. In September, 19-year-old Alana Vasquez was shot and killed during a meetup on Grand Rapids’ southwest side. Earlier this month, another woman was shot and injured at a meetup in the area of 41st Street SE and Trade Drive.
“A young woman, again, who was caught by a stray bullet and it struck her in the ear. So just inches away from death,” Winstrom said.
Next month, 14 new GRPD officers will take the streets. The additional officers will put the department in a better position to pull over or disable cars at meetups.
“We have the ability to put tire deflation devices out to make sure if we have 50 cars in a parking lot that are all committing violations, that we’re able to ticket each and every one of those cars — or else if they drive away, they’re going to paying for some very expensive repairs for the four flat tires that they have,” Winstrom said.
Police are also going after organizers of these meetups.
“Sometimes the leaders will say something like, ‘I’m not committing a crime, I’m just organizing the activity and what people do when they’re there, that’s their responsibility.’ At some point in time, that argument doesn’t really hold true anymore,” Winstrom said.
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If organizers can be identified, police say they’re willing to work with the city attorney’s office on a civil lawsuit.
“When you know that every time you’re calling this meeting together that very dangerous illegal activity will occur and that it’s going to impact the city, we’re going to do everything, use every tool in our toolbox to hold them accountable,” Winstrom said.
Police have said that car meetups generally involve teens or young adults. Winstrom urged parents to ensure that their children are safe, especially late at night.
According to GRPD, there’s likely at least one evening of car meetups each weekend during warm months. They are usually held at multiple locations across multiple jurisdictions.
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