Abingdon Man Charged In Street Racing Bust: Police

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — An Abingdon man was charged Sunday night in connection with illegal car racing near Essex. Police said that Michael Chen was charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace and received several traffic citations for his alleged involvement in the activity near Rossville Boulevard.

Chen was allegedly preparing to race a white 2010 Chevrolet Corvette with a temporary Delaware registration when a trooper arrived and broke up the event.

The trooper had been on patrol on Rossville Boulevard at Kelso Drive at 5:51 p.m. Sunday when he noticed several heavily modified, high-performance vehicles. They were headed west toward the 9000 block of Kelso Drive, a "known illegal street racing location," according to police.

In that area, the trooper found dozens of vehicles parked haphazardly in and around an industrial parking lot. Approximately 35 to 50 pedestrians, some filming, were focused on what appeared to be a Mitsubishi and Corvette revving their engines, preparing to race, in the center of Kelso Drive, according to officials.

Upon the trooper's approach, police said a blue Mitsubishi about to race the Corvette sped off in the direction of Rossville Boulevard.

The trooper drove his vehicle to the start line, and people began to disperse. He ordered onlookers to leave the area, as the large number of pedestrians and vehicles were reportedly blocking the free flow of traffic.

"At this point, he made contact with the driver of a white Chevrolet Corvette, bearing a Delaware temporary registration. The driver was identified as Michael Chen of Abingdon, Maryland," police said.

"Directly around the vehicle were thick rubber tread marks on the roadway from vehicles burning out and spinning their tires," police said in a statement. "Actions such as these, spinning the tires excessively, are typically performed in order to heat the rubber...It makes for a tackier surface that improves the grip the race vehicles have on the road during their take off."

The trooper inspected the Corvette and noticed several alleged equipment violations.

Police said Chen was arrested for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace by hindering free passage and cited for driving a vehicle in a race on a highway, failure to obey traffic control devices and obstructing free passage of the road with a vehicle. He was then released on his own recognizance.

Maryland State Police officials continue to investigate illegal street racing. Authorities encourage anyone who witnesses such activities to report them to their local barrack of Maryland State Police.

See Also:

• Illegal Street Races On I-70 Broken Up By Police, Pasadena Man Charged
• Drag Racing Reported in Perry Hall, White Marsh, Essex

Photo Credit: Maryland State Police.