Watch | ‘State Police break up street takeover event in Berlin’ (Eyewitness News)

Story from Eyewitness News:

Police continue thwarting dangerous street takeovers, with the latest case coming this past weekend in Berlin

These takeovers can turn violent quickly. People block the roads then perform stunts and tricks in their cars.

In this case, the group started street racing and allegedly even gambled on it.

24 year old Kevin Correia-Martinez was arrested for his role in the event. A group of mostly young men blocked part of Route 571 at 4 a.m. with heavily modified cars.

“This one was street racing. They shut down the road to street race cars,” State Rep. Paul Cicarella, (R-North Haven) said.

State police broke up the group twice with racers and spectators fleeing.

Correia-Martinez was hit with several charges, including reckless driving, disobeying officers’ signals and and wagering on highway races.

Police also issued summons to six people for spectating, most of them men from Bridgeport.

In recent years, these large and loud gatherings have turned violent, with cars being destroyed and in rare cases, people attacked.

Navy veteran Jim Newman lives nearby.

“I see them racing down there, quite a few many cars. Two at a time,” he said. “Pretty dangerous someone could get easily killed.”

The state legislature created the Greater Hartford Street Takeover Task Force, which allows agencies to share resources and information about the gatherings.

“We’re actually stopping a lot of these street takeovers before they’re starting,” Cicarella said. “Police are doing a great job but we’re just not hearing about it. And they’re doing that again with monitoring social media, informants, etc. stopping them before they start.”

Police even used stop sticks on the speeding cars, deflating tires without a blowout.

Correia-Martinez had his bond set at $10,000. He paid it and was released.