GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Law enforcement officials in Kent County shared Wednesday they've seen an uptick in illegal gatherings that block traffic, threaten pedestrians, and in some cases create deadly violence.
Numerous clubs in West Michigan host organized events where enthusiasts can admire and share their love for cars. These types of events are legal and peaceful.
It becomes a problem when attendees meet in droves and park their cars in public intersections, creating a public safety hazard.
Some people who attend these events often arrange follow-up meet-ups, while driving recklessly, racing, doing burnouts, threatening pedestrians and blocking traffic, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said.
Some use social media to organize illegal meetups, police said, and share videos of racing, burnouts, motorcycle wheelies and other reckless driving there.
Grand Rapids Police, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the Walker Police Department, and Michigan State Police have all noted car meet-up issues and identified more than 20 locations from March 2023 to September 2023.
In July, reckless drivers' drag racing resulted in a woman getting seriously hurt. In May, a shooting at one of these meet-ups in Cascade seriously hurt a young man.
Over the weekend, a shooting that police say happened at a car meet-up killed 19-year-old Alana Vasquez. Grand Rapids police are now working to arrest a suspect or suspects in connection with her death.
"This is more than kids doing burnouts and kids showing off their cars," Chief Winstrom said.
"This is behavior that unfortunately has resulted in the murder of a 19-year-old girl. Absolutely unacceptable."
Police believe there were at least 100 cars at the weekend gathering, and detectives believe there is plenty of video evidence out there that could help them track down her killer.
It's not just a Kent County problem.
Chief Winstrom said law enforcement in Muskegon and Ottawa Counties are also grappling with this issue. It's a public safety issue across the country.
Walker's Police Chief Keith Mankel said his department gets hundreds of calls about meetups in the area.
GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom is hoping anyone with information or video from this weekend will come forward and share it with detectives.
"I think her family deserves closure. They deserve to know what happened."
Law enforcement vowed to track down the organizers of these illegal and violent car meetups to hold them accountable.
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