WASHINGTON — A Pasadena, Maryland, man is under arrest on several charges related to an illegal drag race in Baltimore County.
It happened early Saturday morning at the eastern end of Interstate 70, a stretch of highway with a long history of drag racing which includes a fatal wreck that killed two spectators in 2009.
Maryland State Police said a resident who lives nearby reported the illegal racing around 2 a.m., and that’s when a state trooper rolled up to the scene. He spotted several “high performance vehicles,” some of which were blocking traffic.
There were also people on the side of the road who appeared to be waiting for the start of a race.
When the trooper activated his lights, everyone left, police said.
But an hour later, apparently many of them had returned.
Police said traffic in that area of Woodlawn was backed up and several hot rods appeared ready to start racing along the westbound straightaway. Dozens of spectators were also reportedly back on the side of the road taking pictures and videos with their cellphones.
One man in particular, 42-year-old Keith Parker, of Pasadena, was at the starting line and helping to direct traffic, according to a news release from state police.
Police said that when the trooper got close to the starting line, everyone who had gathered had started to run again, including Parker, who was chased down after telling everyone else to run.
Parker is facing several charges, including participating in a speed race competition and unauthorized use of a Class 1A dealer registration, to go with charges related to his reported attempt to illegally direct traffic and flee from police.
