Vehicles were seen spinning in circles, surrounded by crowds of people, during “illegal car takeovers” that have been causing chaos in Maryland.
Wild aerial footage released by the Prince George’s County Police Department, obtained by Fox News, shows crowds of people standing in a circle arounds cars spinning chaotically at high speeds.
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Police are describing the incidents as “illegal car takeovers,” adding that one man, 18-year-old Naef Salmo, has been arrested after spinning his car in circles when he struck a woman at around 1:45 a.m. on September 14 in a shopping center parking lot, according to a report by WJLA.
Instead of stopping, Salmo fled the scene, leaving the woman — who was hospitalized with serious injuries but has since been released — behind, authorities say, according to a report by Fox News.
Police added that the 18-year-old tried to cover his tracks by spray-painting the car a different color, and that they found a handgun hidden underneath the vehicle’s hood upon searching the car.
Salmo — who now faces several charges, including second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, riot, and obstructing and hindering a police officer — eventually admitted responsibility for the hit-and-run, law enforcement said.
“We know these illegal vehicle takeovers may seem harmless to some, but the fact is, they can be dangerous,” Prince George’s County Police Chief George Nader said.
“In this case, a young woman suffered serious injuries. We’ve also investigated a fatal shooting at a car takeover in recent years,” Nader added.
Notably, the bizarre illegal car takeovers arrive on the heels of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) and President Donald Trump sparring over crime rates in the Democrat-controlled state.
“Governor Wes Moore of Maryland has asked, in a rather nasty and provocative tone, that I ‘walk the streets of Maryland’ with him,” President Trump said in an August 24 Truth Social post. “I assume he is talking about out of control, crime ridden, Baltimore?”
“As President, I would much prefer that he clean up his Crime disaster before I go there for a ‘walk.’ Wes Moore’s record on Crime is a very bad one,” Trump continued. “If Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the ‘troops,’ which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the crime.”
“After only one week, there is NO CRIME AND NO MURDER IN DC!” the president added. “When it is like that in Baltimore, I will proudly ‘walk the streets’ with the failing, because of Crime, Governor of Maryland.”
President Trump went on to say, “P.S. Baltimore is ranked the 4th WORST CITY IN THE NATION IN CRIME & MURDER. Stop talking and get to work, Wes.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
