Forget Running, This Cop Knows You’re In An E46 And He’s In A Helicopter Using Infrared

Street takeovers and sideshows are an alluring temptation for hoon-minded enthusiasts looking to demonstrate their motorized mayhem-making skills, and as you might expect, they’re unquestionably dangerous. That’s why police forces are leveraging all sorts of tactics to put them to a stop. In Tampa, that means using helicopters and night-vision tech, and in the case captured here, we get to hear how officers approach the situation.

With a mission to “balance education and enforcement,” as Tampa police called the effort, officers stepped up traffic enforcement over the long Labor Day weekend, with a focus on the Courtney Campbell Causeway, the northernmost bridge across Old Tampa Bay.

That put them about eight miles from the Tampa Convention Center when they received a report of a potential takeover. A helicopter spotted a car as it did donuts in an intersection with dozens of bystanders around 2 a.m.

“Alright, we’ve got one on video now doing donuts right here, we’ll keep an eye on it as units come in, it’ll be our next one” we hear one officer aboard the helo says. Just like that, the police have decided which car they’ll go after next and there’s little the driver can do to get away.

In fact, the officer aboard the aircraft deserves a bit of a shout-out for his ability to ID the offending vehicle as a BMW E46 3-Series from his vantage point. As officers arrive, it’s easy to see the crowd begin to scatter and the BMW drive off, tearing away in the only open direction, southbound:

A police SUV pulls up behind the BMW about two minutes later and radios up to the helo to confirm they have the right car. “Is it like a four-door sedan?” asks the officer in the car. “Yeah, it’s the one right in front of you,” says the officer in the air.

Just like that, five different police cruisers roll up and surround the BMW in a parking lot. They arrested 18-year-old Elian Michele for unlawful racing on a highway while engaged in a coordinated street takeover – which begs the question, “Is there such a thing as “lawful racing on a highway?” (Outside of that one wild race in Lithuania of course.) Mr. Michele also received two narcotics charges, so not his best night. The BMW was impounded, with no word (that I could find before publishing) on how long it’ll be off the streets.

The message from the local PD with a video like this is about as clear as it gets: “Those who engage in such reckless and dangerous behavior will face the full consequences of the law,” said Chief Bercaw. “It should be clear that this type of activity is not tolerated in Tampa. You will be caught, you will be arrested, and your car will be seized.”

According to Tampa PD, a total of 1,183 traffic stops were made over the weekend, with 1,012 warnings and 531 citations issued. On the causeway alone, Tampa PD cited 106 people for speeding.

Below is another example from five months ago when police used the same tactics successfully that they did over this past weekend.

Participants in street takeovers and sideshows can face some pretty serious consequences, and even those merely watching can be fined. Behind-the-wheel participants can receive a third-degree felony charge, lose their license for two years, lose their vehicle to an impound lot, and/or face a $4,000 fine.

The lesson is clear: keep it on the track. You never know who is watching from above.