Tucson street racing turns deadly, is TPD doing enough?

[ad_1]

TUCSON (KVOA) – The road racing troubles in Tucson appear to have turned fatal after a major accident late last month.

For months, News 4 Tucson investigators have been hearing from Tucsonans who have had enough of ruthless races on their streets.

“People can be injured, people can be killed in street races and it must be stopped,” Eastside resident Donna Snyder told us in November.

“It’s only a matter of time before someone is killed,” predicted a woman named Shelbey in our November investigation.

Her worst fears appear to have been fulfilled after the fatal April 27 crash on the corner of Golf Links Road. and Sarnoff. The crash killed 54-year-old Timothy Tengler.

According to Tucson Police, Tengler was turning left onto Sarnoff when two speeding pickup trucks crashed into him.

TPD Lt. Robert Garza said it was too early to confirm the circumstances of the crash, but said speed appears to be a factor.

“There are signs that they have definitely exceeded the speed limit,” said Lt. Garza.

But several witnesses told News 4 Tucson police and investigators that they saw the two trucks before the collision.

“We call it Golf Links Raceway,” said Don Allred.

Allred is a service manager at a dealership a few blocks from the scene of the accident. He said he saw the trucks start racing and then soon heard the first responders.

“We saw a couple of trucks that looked like they were racing from the traffic lights. About five minutes later we saw the ambulance and the fire truck and the police cordoning off the street, ”Allred explained.

We spoke to a woman who lives near the accident. She didn’t want to be identified but told us that street racing in the area was a constant problem.

“Sometimes you can just see them fly across the street. I’m not surprised it happened, but I’m sad it happened because a person lost their life, ”she said.

In January, after several News 4 Tucson Investigators investigations revealed the extent of the problem, TPD began taking special measures for road racing. Assignment of officers for street racing in selected shifts only.

Lt. Garza said the raid had shown results. He said complaints about road racing have decreased by more than 30 percent since it began. He said TPD has so far issued 300 civil and 150 criminal charges and has confiscated 44 vehicles.

“It’s dangerous out there, we want to make sure the roads are safe. To achieve this, we will continue to work on this issue, ”said Lt. Garza.

A problem, if left unchecked, can be devastating.

No arrests have been made in the crash so far, TPD said drivers passed a DUI test.

TPD said it can be difficult to catch racers in time, so much of the responsibility for stopping them rests with those who worry about the consequences.

If you have a story for us to investigate, email us at investigators@kvoa.com or call our tip hotline at 955-4444.

[ad_2]