I-285 is one of the nation’s busiest — and most dangerous — interstates.
So authorities were surprised to stumble across viral video showing a large group of people standing in the middle of the highway Saturday night as drivers took turns doing doughnuts and burnouts.
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The scene looked more like a high school parking lot than the busy Clayton County tunnel that runs underneath a runway at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Traffic on the freeway came to a complete standstill just before midnight when a group of drift racers blocked all lanes of the interstate, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Witnesses said cars going about 70 mph were forced to come to an abrupt stop as traffic backed up in front of the tunnel.
“It was definitely organized. They definitely had a system going,” said one woman, who asked not to be identified. “They were hanging out of their cars, driving with their phones, each one of them.”
Motorists said some of the participants also shot off fireworks, adding even more smoke to the already cloudy tunnel.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Some of the drivers called the cops, but the crowd dispersed by the time officers arrived six minutes later, according to police.
Now, Clayton County police are searching for those involved.
“In response to the drift racing video, we would like to make it clear that the Clayton County Police Department has a no-tolerance stance on drift racing, the elevated potential for loss of life and serious injury, but most importantly the disrespect for the laws and the citizens of this county,” police spokeswoman Lt. Cherie West said in a statement to AJC.com. “It is for this reason that we, in conjunction with surrounding law enforcement agencies, are working together to combat this blatantly devious behavior.”
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