Fairfax County police released wild video of a “street hijacking” over the weekend that left one officer injured and a police cruiser damaged.
Around 3 a.m. Sunday, hundreds of people gathered in Springfield, Virginia, to watch drivers do donuts and drive recklessly at a car rally. Police Chief Kevin Davis said the purpose of the gathering was “utter chaos and disorder” and it proved unsafe for deputy officers to respond to the scene.
“We believe we narrowly escaped a death-in-the-line scenario of our own, because one of our police officers was surrounded by a group of masked tough-guy wannabe thugs, surrounded her car, and committed a crime. I want to tell you that this will never happen again in Fairfax County,” Davis told reporters at a news conference.
The police chief said a “street occupation” in a parking lot in the 6600 block of Electronic Drive in Springfield put the lives of both participants and bystanders at risk. On-duty officers responded after seeing several vehicles enter the property and begin driving recklessly.
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Police said hundreds of people attended a car rally Sunday to observe cars driving recklessly, endangering drivers and bystanders. Here, a masked person was photographed holding what appeared to be a rifle and hanging from a car window. (Fairfax County Police Department)
Photos released by police showed at least one person hanging outside a car and waving a rifle.
Dashcam footage released by the police department shows a large group of masked people surrounding the officer’s cruiser. At least one person attempted to remove the license plate from the vehicle, and others blocked a second cruiser from arriving at the scene.
Fairfax County police said some people at the rally tried to get into cruisers and banged on the windows. Mr Davis said the officer had shown “tremendous kindness under pressure in a very volatile scenario”.
The police chief said dozens of officers responded “in unison” to assist.
“So what does this mean for the residential and business communities? Your neighborhood, your There were no police officers to protect your community, your business,” Davis said.
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According to Fairfax County Police, Ronal Urrea Hernandez, 18, has been identified as the driver of the vehicle that struck the officer. (Fairfax County Police Department)
As support arrived, the crowd of drivers and bystanders began to disperse.
Four people were charged in connection with the incident.
Carlos A. Matinez Jr., 18, was arrested at the scene and charged with reckless driving after driving the wrong way down the road and crashing into the cruiser. FOX 5 DC reports. He was reportedly released on a summons.
One of the drivers hit the officer with his car and fled the scene. The police officer suffered minor injuries. Another officer initiated a pursuit of the vehicle, but no arrests were made.
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Police have obtained an arrest warrant for Dylan Heckard, 20, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, on suspicion of kidnapping, assault on a law enforcement officer, obstructing official business and wearing a mask in public. (Fairfax County Police Department)
The suspect in the hit-and-run was later identified as Ronal Urrea Hernandez, 18. Police obtained warrants for his arrest on charges of felony hit and run, speeding and no driver’s license.
Another suspect wanted by police is Dylan Heckard, 20, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Police identified Heckard after he posted a selfie on social media showing him making rude hand gestures. His charges include assault on law enforcement and kidnapping for jumping on a police cruiser and preventing officers from leaving.
A 17-year-old, whose identity has not been released because he is a minor, has also been charged.
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Davis said police have created a civil disturbance team to identify where such street takeovers are planned and respond to incidents before they become dangerous.
“This will never happen again in Fairfax County,” Davis said.
