Florida Highway Patrol troopers arrested two drivers early Monday after clocking two red Ford Mustangs racing west on Interstate 4 near mile marker 17 in eastern Hillsborough County. According to FHP, the cars were running at 120 miles an hour in a 70-mph zone shortly before 12:45 a.m. on Oct. 19.
Juan Diego Eslava Gutierrez was charged with racing on a highway and illegal drug possession. Troopers reported smelling synthetic marijuana in his vehicle, and records state he told them the substance was his; a Hillsborough County deputy’s test confirmed it. The second, unnamed driver was charged with racing on a highway. Both were booked into Hillsborough County Jail, and both vehicles were towed and will be held for 30 days.
High-speed racing on I-4 is a public-safety concern for everyone who shares that corridor, and the 30-day vehicle hold is one of the tools Florida uses to go after it. The added drug charge in this case broadens the consequences beyond a traffic citation.
Have you seen street racing on I-4 or elsewhere around the Suncoast? Let us know in the comments.
