GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids police got the call to an area near the 196 overpass and Stocking on Grand Rapids' west side around 12:15 Sunday morning.
People were driving certainly in a way no one is supposed to, especially at a public intersection.
“We got reports of up to 100 cars in the area of Second and Stocking,” Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said.
Remnants of what's left of the 50–100 cars driving dangerously remain.
“They were doing spinouts in the intersection,” Winstrom said.
The group dispersed as soon as soon the police arrived. But the area near Stocking wasn't their first stop.
“Throughout the night they had set up in various locations in and outside of the city,” Winstrom said.
Those include locations along the East Beltline.
Grand Rapids had a serious problem with this type of behavior last summer.
“We’ve seen a lot of violence associated who have come down. We had a young lady that was murdered last year at one of these locations. It seems like illegal behavior brings more illegal behavior with it,” Winstrom said.
It's downright dangerous for more than just drivers.
“Oftentimes pedestrians who are onlooking will stand very close to vehicles, which are spinning around nearly out of control, creating extremely dangerous situations,” Winstrom said.
Chief Winstrom says they've found a way to prevent this type of behavior.
“Oftentimes the best enforcement for us, the best enforcement opportunity for us, is parking tickets,” Winstrom said.
“You would think that that’s not that big of a deal, but it significantly changes people’s behavior in the future," he continued.
All in all, the chief said the events of the holiday weekend are an improvement over years before. For the last two years, there has been a homicide in Grand Rapids on the Fourth of July.
"We didn’t have a shooting this weekend, certainly. There was no one killed,” Winstrom said.
Grand Rapids police responded to a shots fired call over the weekend and no victims were located.
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