Police bust alleged ‘street takeover’ in Volusia County, continue to search for suspects

EDGEWATER, Fla. - Edgewater police officers are searching for dozens of people believed to be involved in an alleged illegal street takeover.

Early Sunday morning, an officer reported to Parktowne Industrial Center after he heard tires screeching and other commotion. Once on scene, according to the department, he saw upwards of 50 vehicles on site.

"There's ‘doughnuts.’ There's tire smoke everywhere, and they're just driving in a real reckless manner," Capt. Charles Geiger said.

The officer attempted to confront the group and make them disperse. Geiger said once he turned on his police lights, everyone scattered.

"The second that they decide to flee from law enforcement, it changes everything," Geiger said.

Multiple pursuits ensued, and one of the suspects crashed his vehicle. During the response, a Volusia County Sheriff's Office helicopter flew over the area, and at least one officer used stopsticks. The majority of the drivers were able to escape. However, Capt. Geiger says they will continue to search for them.

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"We're going to identify everybody that was there, and we're going to hold them accountable," Geiger said.

At the time of the incident, Fernando Rodriguez and Collin Jorgensen were taken into custody. Jorgensen is believed to have crashed his vehicle while attempting to escape.

Another suspect has been identified as Pedro Quiles Jr. Detectives located his vehicle in Sanford, and they are working on an arrest warrant. 

Geiger said the incident serves as a reminder to never assume what will happen in a police encounter. He said that had they not run, there would not have been any legal consequences.

Geiger says they will issue search warrants and scour social media to track down the dozens of other suspects. 

Melvin Copeland runs an upholstery shop in the complex. He said he'd noticed tire marks in the road in recent months, but he was unsure of where they came from. He was surprised to hear of the chaos.

"It's usually pretty quiet out here," he said.

Anyone with information is asked to reach out to the Edgewater Police Department.