VIDEO: Street racers hit 107 mph in University Place, dashcam gives deputies key evidence

A late-night street race between a Bugatti and a Porsche on a busy Pierce County road led to the arrest of two 25-year-old men after one of their own dashcams captured incriminating video.

A deputy was running a speed emphasis on Bridgeport Way in University Place around 9:30 p.m. last Tuesday when he spotted the cars lining up, according to Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Carly Cappetto.

“He observed two vehicles,” Cappetto said. “One was like a Bugatti, one was a Porsche, and they slowly pulled up alongside each other, and then quickly accelerated together at a high rate of speed.”

The posted speed limit on Bridgeport Way is 35 mph, but deputies said one of the vehicles reached 107 mph during the race. The deputy tried to stop them but couldn’t catch up.

“He attempted a traffic stop, but was not able to even catch up to them, and it’s clear in the body cam that the cars disappeared out of sight instantly,” Cappetto said.

A short time later, deputies found both vehicles unoccupied in a nearby shopping complex parking lot. The suspected drivers were located inside a shop and placed under arrest for street racing.

The deputy noticed a dashcam mounted in the Porsche and, under Washington’s updated street racing laws, seized the car and the camera after obtaining a warrant.

The footage left little room for doubt.

“What you see in that dashcam is, in fact, both vehicles side by side, accelerating at a high rate of speed,” Cappetto said. “One of the vehicles reaches 107 mph. Essentially, the dashcam that was in the Porsche incriminated themselves with their dashcam.”

New street racing laws, tougher consequences

Cappetto said new Washington state laws that took effect in January 2024 were written to crack down on dangerous street racing and road takeovers seen in other cities and states.

The updated laws make street racing a misdemeanor that deputies can arrest for on the spot, allow deputies to seize and impound vehicles involved, with a mandatory 72-hour hold, and permit seizure of evidence such as phones, cameras, and dashcams that capture the racing.

Both the Bugatti and the Porsche were impounded, and the case against the two drivers was built largely on the dashcam video.

‘Crimes against the community’

Cappetto emphasized that this kind of high-speed racing is far from a victimless crime, especially on a corridor like Bridgeport Way, where businesses, driveways, shopping centers, and pedestrian crossings line the road.

“What people don’t realize, when you are traveling at 107 mph on a 35 mph road, there are turnoffs and driveways and shopping centers. A car going 107 mph will not be able to stop and brake in time for a vehicle that pulls in front of it,” Cappetto said.

The same risk applies to pedestrians who think they have enough time to cross.

“Street racer crimes are crimes against the community,” Cappetto added. “They put the community at risk, they put other drivers at risk, they put pedestrians at risk, and they put personal property at risk as well.”

Cappetto called the driving “negligence and reckless behavior,” especially with passengers in the vehicles.

She also praised the deputy’s handling of the case, saying he did “a phenomenal job” establishing probable cause and using the new law to seize evidence and put the case to rest.

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