PIKESVILLE, Md. – Police make three arrests after two large-scale illegal car rallies were dismantled by members of the Maryland Car Rally Task Force this past weekend in Baltimore and Montgomery counties.
The joint operation started at 9:00 p.m. Friday night and continued through 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning. During the enforcement, police located and dismantled two exhibition driving events and made three adult arrests in the following locations:
- 3750 Commerce Drive, Halethorpe, MD
- 14901 Layhill Rd., Silver Spring, MD
Police shut down an illegal car meet where more than 200 vehicles and a group of spectators arrived in a parking lot in Halethorpe on Friday night. Two arrests were made at this location. Amar Abdal Hamed, 22, of Arnold, Maryland was arrested and charged for engaging in exhibition driving and reckless driving. Matthew Cooray, 20, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania was arrested and charged with reckless driving and failure to obey a lawful order.
Five vehicles were impounded for registration violations. Maryland State Police also recovered two stolen Camaros and assisted injured and ill individuals requiring medical transport.
In Silver Spring, police shut down an illegal car meet of more than 60 vehicles. Christian Koenig, 20, of Manassas, Virginia was arrested and charged with possession/operation of a stolen vehicle and other related charges. Koenig was operating a black Camaro at the time of his arrest.
The Maryland Car Rally Task Force is comprised of the Maryland State Police and police departments from Prince George’s, Montgomery, Howard, Baltimore counties, and Baltimore City, along with the Maryland Natural Resources Police and the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. This collaborative effort remains vital in addressing illegal exhibition driving across designated regions.