Viral videos posted to social media appear to show dozens of people gathered outside The Mall West End for a weekend stunt driving event.
In one video, posted on Saturday, a large crowd is gathered in the parking lot while cars do doughnuts and burnouts. Fireworks are shot into the air.
In another, the same crowd can be seen dispersing when Atlanta police show up. That video was shared by several popular Instagram aggregator accounts, including The Shade Room, which has more than 18 million followers.
The incident at the southwest Atlanta mall was one of two stunt driving events police broke up Saturday night. The other was on Spring Street near the Varsity, according to police.
Both happened the day after Georgia’s stay-at-home order was lifted for most of the state’s residents.
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Similar incidents have been reported in other metro Atlanta jurisdictions. Clayton County police arrested at least three drivers after a stunt driving event shut down the I-285 tunnel near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in March.
RELATED: 3rd suspect arrested after burnout, doughnut incident in I-285 tunnel
In that incident, videos were also posted to social media that showed drivers and spectators blocking traffic on the busy interstate.
Another illegal street racing event at North DeKalb Mall was recently busted by DeKalb County police. An officer noticed several vehicles entering the mall’s parking lot April 18 and called for backup, according to police.
Most of the vehicles drove off as additional officers arrived, but two were stopped and their drivers were arrested on reckless driving charges, police said on Twitter.
No one was arrested at The Mall West End on Saturday night. When officers arrived about 11:15 p.m. to check out a report of reckless driving, they did not witness any reckless driving or racing, according to police spokesman Officer Steve Avery.
They found a group of people believed to be “club car enthusiasts” and cleared the lot, Avery said in a statement.
“Investigators are working to review video and identify any of the participants in order to seek out warrants for their arrest,” he said. “Additionally, officers will continue to monitor the area with increased patrols.”
One driver was arrested at the gathering on Spring Street, which was broken up about 9:30 p.m. when responding officers began traffic enforcement. Several traffic citations were issued, and officers stopped Sirmario Anderson, 31, of Decatur, at gunpoint after he attempted to drive off, according to a police report.
Anderson was arrested on charges of reckless driving, racing, driving with a suspended license, open container, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, and possession of a firearm by a felon. According to police, Anderson was convicted of trafficking marijuana in DeKalb County in 2007.
He was being held Monday in the Fulton County Jail.
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