APD arrests 18 year-old following street racing event

ALBUQUERQUE – The Albuquerque Police Department’s Traffic Unit arrested an 18 year-old Friday night following a street racing event in the southeast part of the city.

On Saturday September 14, Traffic Officers were working a street racing operation. A call came in regarding vehicles gathered in the area of 2305 Renard Place SE. Witnesses stated drivers were racing and doing donuts in the area.

When officers arrived they observed a large group of vehicles in the parking lot that began to leave the area. Officers noticed a silver Chrysler 300 with distinct dark covered taillights drove at a high rate of speed from the area.

While the driver turned on Yale an officer tried to stop the vehicle turning on their emergency equipment due to the drivers reckless driving. The male driver, later identified as Joaquin Keanu Carlos White, 18, did not stop and fled the traffic stop losing traction on the roadway.

White turned off the tail lights as he fled at a high rate of speed onto University Boulevard before then driving normally after turning on Rio Bravo. As White began heading to his residence, officers attempted another traffic stop to which he did and was arrested.

White was charged with Reckless Driving and Aggravated Fleeing. Video from his arrest can be found here.

Prior to this arrest, Traffic Officers stopped five vehicles, issued 12 citations and two vehicles fled from traffic stops.

To date, since the beginning of the year, street racing operations have resulted in the following statistics:

28 nights of operations conducted

431 total citations

12 citations for racing

57 citations for spectating

23 Calls for Service (these are typically reports of vehicle disturbances in parking lots and racing on streets as well as Aggravated Driver BOLO’s)

6 DWI arrests.

9 arrests for offenses such as Reckless Driving, Aggravated Fleeing, repeat offenders

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