Race Fans Reflect on Dangers of Street Sport

Police View Potential For Hazard Differently

It's a tradition as old as hand dancing and crab feasts in Prince George's County: men, women and even sometimes children gathered together at street races to experience the thrill of speed, the exhilaration of competition, the victory that comes with betting on a winner.

For enthusiasts, the events are sport, an opportunity to fraternize with others who love cars and speed. But police say the races are a public hazard, an illegal activity that has the potential to end in serious injury or death.

The deadly Feb. 16 crash at Indian Head Highway near Pine Drive has shone light on the danger associated with street racing, and Prince George's police say they are stepping up enforcement.

In a news conference last week, Prince George's law enforcement officials joined state and neighboring police agencies to announce a crackdown.

Charles County officials, who said they have achieved a measure of success in curtailing races in their county, pledged to share the techniques they have employed with Prince George's officials. Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) announced that traffic cameras and helicopters will be used to monitor racing hot spots.

Several relatives of victims of the Feb. 16 crash criticized police for focusing on street racing. They do not blame racing for the deaths of their loved ones.

"All you hear about is them looking for people who were at the race. They didn't cause the problem," said Ervin Gardner Sr., 61, whose son, Ervin Gardner Jr., 39, of Oxon Hill, was killed in the incident. "People have been street racing for years, and they know how to do it safely."

Police said no accidents have been reported recently involving a crash with cars that were participating in a street race. But eight people died and five people are recovering from injuries they suffered in the Indian Head Highway crash, when a white Crown Victoria sedan driven by Darren Jamar Bullock, 20, of Waldorf plowed into a group of spectators standing in the road and on the shoulder.

Bullock told authorities he did not see the spectators in time to stop. Witnesses have said they believe his lights were off and his car appeared to have been traveling faster than the posted speed limit of 55 mph. Bullock, whose driver's license had been suspended, said he was driving the speed limit and that his lights were on, police said.

Police have asked for the public's help in identifying the drivers of the racing cars, a Ford 5.0 and a Camaro. Police said last week that they have spoken to 20 of 200 people believed to have been spectators at the race.

Gardner, a retired mechanic, said his son grew up watching him participate at sanctioned races in North Carolina. The younger man started racing as a teenager and was hooked for life, his father said. When the son moved to Prince George's as an adult, he found the racing community was a way to make friends.

Antonio Torney, 30, of Oxon Hill said he and Gardner grew as close as brothers after meeting at a race more than a decade ago. Torney, owner of a towing service, and Ervin Gardner Jr., a truck driver for the City of Alexandria, often worked on their cars together.