WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — West Palm Beach Police said reports of drivers driving recklessly along Forest Hill Boulevard and Georgia Avenue are just one of many around town.
Nearby residents have said late-night chaos has them hiding in their homes, fearing for their safety.
"Just donuts after donuts. How many times do you think they've gone around here?" Shannon Michaud, who has two teenage daughters, said.
She lives just yards away from where videos show cars spinning in circles with crowds of people close by taking videos.
"My daughters were so scared. They called me. They stayed inside the house," Michaud said. "To think that a car could've come crashing through my window or something, you know, that's really scary."
When asked what she would like to see changed, she said she would like to see more patrols, especially at night.
Her concerns were shared throughout the south end, where West Palm Beach police met with neighbors.
"They need to stop doing this," West Palm Beach police Capt. Brian Kapper said. "Obviously, people are being injured out here. People are being killed. South Florida, in particular, there's been a few people killed. We don't want that in the city of West Palm Beach."
Kapper said some nights are limited on the number of officers, which can affect response time.
"The officers are handling the calls as quickly as they can, and again, we're here trying to ensure the safety of everybody that lives here," Kapper said.
Per policy, West Palm Beach police are not allowed to chase these reckless drivers but are working to put more cameras and license plate readers throughout the city.
"For right now, we're going to attempt to identify when these groups will meet up. We're going to adjust our manpower with what we have here, putting additional officers around those times," Kapper said. "We're going to try to identify where they're going to show up within the city. Then we're going to have the units make the traffic stops on them or at least driving them out of the city without chasing them, without endangering the rest of the public."
Police said they plan to respond to incidents with multiple units for the safety of its officers.
"Just be smart, Michaud said. "You're going to hurt somebody, or you're going to get in an accident and it's going to cost you way more than that is worth."
