NEW ORLEANS — The NOPD has released some pictures from the stunt driving event on St. Claude Avenue and St. Roch Avenue Sunday.
Onlookers said the event lasted at least a half an hour and it included a police cruiser with its lights and sirens on that was used to try to break up the event. Instead, some members of the crowd punched and kicked at the vehicle and a couple of others jumped on top of the hood.
Police sent out photos of two people that they said were jumping on the cruiser and four vehicles believed to have been part of the show.
The event - one of four around the city on Sunday - became a hot topic on social media and led to an impassioned press conference from Superintendent Shaun Ferguson who said the department was going to increase the counts for participants in the races, which block the streets and draw big spectators who stand just feet from speeding cars burning rubber and driving in circles.
"There's no way in hell we should be allowing anyone to come into our city and rule our city," he said.
PHOTO: Police said the two people shown in the above image were jumping on top of the police cruiser and the four cars participated in the event.
Ferguson said the counts that drivers will face will be upped from reckless driving to aggravated obstruction of highway or commerce, which he said comes with a sentence of up to 15 years in jail.
"You're not only jeopardizing the citizens, you're disrespecting our officers' lives."
Ferguson said he was especially upset with one scene where a police cruiser was surrounded and people jumped on it and slapped and kicked it before it drove away.
Ferguson also said he would like new laws passed that will allow them to seize the vehicles used in the "shows" and that will allow for penalties against spectators as well.
"Everyone, when identified, will be held accountable," said Ferguson.