A man suspected of organizing several major illegal street racing events around metro Atlanta was arrested Thursday after his flight from Miami landed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, police said.
Adolfo Robledo, who police say is behind the Instagram account ATLTuners, was taken into custody following a collaborative investigation between multiple state and local law enforcement agencies, the Atlanta Police Department announced Friday afternoon. The investigation involved the police departments of Atlanta, Marietta and Sandy Springs as well as DeKalb, Cherokee and Clayton counties. The Georgia State Patrol and GBI assisted as well.
Joining Robledo in police custody are Kristopher Repka and Isaac Vasquez-Sanabria, two other participants who also run street racing-themed Instagram pages, Atlanta police said. The three arrests Thursday add to the prior capture of Richard Burnett and Mahmood Edwards the previous week, leading the APD to claim “that all of the top street racing organizers have now been charged and are in custody for violating the new street racer laws signed by Governor Kemp.”
The multiple arrests represent a proactive measure ahead of a weekend in which police have warned Atlanta residents about the possibility of increased street racing activity. The APD posted an alert to social media Friday noting that they would be ready for unwelcome visitors.
“Some come to lay drag, disrupt the peace, and engage in criminal behavior,” the department tweeted. “Our officers stay ready. This weekend will be no different.”
Atlanta police said that three charges against Robledo stem from a “takeover” event at a DeKalb intersection, Channel 2 Action News reported.
“Takeovers are kind of like flash mobs centered around reckless stunt-driving exhibitions,” an APD spokesman told Channel 2.
Atlanta police credit the charges against Robledo and others to the street racing law recently signed by Governor Brian Kemp. Before the law went into effect, it was difficult to pin specific, serious charges on those suspects caught street racing, police told Channel 2. The charges against Robledo are all high and aggravated misdemeanors, Channel 2 reported.
“These arrests are just another example of our determination to follow through and send a strong message to those who doubt our intentions or our ability to execute,” the APD said in a Facebook post. “We thank everyone involved in bringing these suspects to justice.”
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