Suspects from Maryland, Delaware among 3 charged for illegal car meetups in Philadelphia
Henry Ramos, 21, Serge Youayou, 21, and Yariel Fuentes-Reyes, 19, have all been charged for participating in illegal car meetups in Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA - A Maryland man and a Delaware man are among three people accused of "participating and promoting" several illegal car meetups in Philadelphia.
Police and prosecutors alike have long vowed to crackdown on illegal car meetups in Philadelphia, which have caused property damage and disrupted communities.
What we know:
The Philadelphia Police Department announced charges Tuesday against three men accused of participating in and promoting illegal car meetups in Philadelphia.
Yariel Fuentes-Reyes, 19, and Serge D. Youayou, 21, are both accused of partaking in a raucous car meetup after the Eagles Super Bowl parade on February 14th.
Fuentes-Reyes, who police say was arrested in his home state of Maryland, told FOX 29 at the time of his arrest, "I don’t know what they’re saying. I’m innocent."
He is also accused of participating in similar illegal car meetups in April and June.
Youayou, a Delaware native, was taken into custody in July on the 400 block of North Broad Street. He is also accused of participating in car meetups in May and June.
Henry Ramos, 21, was the third arrest made by police for illegal car meetups. He's accused of participating in meetups in May, June, and on the Fourth of July.
All three men have been charged with aggravated assault, causing-risking catastrophe, criminal mischief, riot, and other crimes.
What they're saying:
Philadelphia Police Lieutenant Dennis Rosenbaum explained the dangerous and destructive results of illegal car meetups following Fuentes-Reyes's arrest.
"Sometimes they lose control of a car," he said. "You got tons of spectators out there and they wind up getting hit by the car."
He also spoke about thousands of dollars in property damage caused by the illegal meetings.
"The Streets Dept. has to go out and repaint the lines in the street, things like that," Rosenbaum said. That all costs money."