Modesto police cite 17-year-old clocked at 92 mph on city street
A 17-year-old boy was cited for reckless driving after a Modesto police traffic officer witnessed him racing another car on a city street and speeding at nearly three times the posted limit, authorities said Thursday.
According to a social-media post from the Modesto Police Department, the teen — who did not have a driver’s license — was recorded traveling 92 mph in a 35-mph zone when officers stopped him last week. Police released body-camera footage showing the stop and the officer’s interaction with the driver.
The department said one of its motor officers saw two cars racing before pulling over the teen. His vehicle was towed from the scene.
“That speed isn’t ‘pushing it’ or ‘showing off,’” police wrote in the post. “It’s life-changing danger for the driver, their passengers, and everyone else on the road.”
MPD said its traffic unit regularly patrols for dangerous driving behaviors — including street racing — because officers “see firsthand what happens when things go wrong.”
The department urged young drivers to make safer choices and reminded the public to slow down. “Your life, and someone else’s, depends on it,” the post said.
Police did not release the teen’s name because he is a minor.
Mustang driver learns what happens when you don’t hold your horses
In a separate incident of excessive speed, the California Highway Patrol Modesto-area office reports clocking the driver of a newly purchased Ford Mustang going 139 mph on Highway 99 on Wednesday evening.
Just after 7 p.m., an officer was entering southbound Highway 99 at Kiernan Avenue when he spotted the speeding car. “The Mustang was caught on radar at 139 MPH as its driver recklessly passed other motorists,” the CHP posted on Facebook. “An enforcement stop was conducted and the driver was placed under arrest. Their vehicle, which was allegedly purchased one hour before, was impounded.”
Officer Tom Olsen told The Bee the driver, 20-year-old Delano resident Leonardo Gonzalez, was booked on a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving.
“The CHP will take all measures to remove these reckless drivers from our roadways,” the Facebook post says. “They pose a great risk to themselves and everyone they share the roadway with.”
