LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Over the weekend hundreds of cars were doing donuts, burnouts, and drag racing down Broadway in downtown Little Rock. A large part of that was in a neighborhood, just steps away from people’s homes.

Tire marks stretch up and down Broadway and a majority of the donuts were done in intersections. People like Greg Henderson, who live next to those intersections, are worried about drivers losing control and veering off the road. 

“It would start about 9:00 p.m. and go all the way until three or four in the morning. I bet there were 150, 200 cars out here,” Henderson said.

Henderson said he’s noticed more and more cars speeding down Broadway and doing donuts in the intersections.

“People running red lights, people backing up traffic it just creates a bad situation,” Henderson said.

It’s a problem he believes is spinning out of control.

“It’s gotten especially worse and picking up steam and more and more people getting out here, blocking up the side streets and along Broadway as well,” Henderson said.

Little Rock Police Lt. Casey Clark said they’ve seen more drivers putting the pedal to the metal since the pandemic started.

“A huge influx from not only Little Rock and Little Rock area but outside all over the state basically coming here for these big car events,” Lt. Clark said.

Clark said they’ve had up to 50 officers working to put these kinds of activities to a screeching halt, but as they’ve dispersed the groups from other areas they are steering into residential neighborhoods like these.

“What we’re doing is trying to formulate additional plans to how we’re going to directly subdue those individuals either charge them with offenses or just get them to stop is our main issue,” Clark said.

Henderson said he doesn’t want it to get to the point where LRPD is blocking off streets or writing tickets.

“We just want to see them moving them along to an area where it’s safe to do that but a residential neighborhood is not the place for it,” Henderson said.

Clark said the first priority is trying to keep everyone safe but the reckless driving, street racing, and drifting has to stop. LRPD is working on plans to cut out these kinds of activities.