NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Illegal street racing has invaded U.S. streets, including those in Nashville.
“We had a street racer that intentionally tried to run us over because we [weren’t] moving fast enough,” Nashville resident and advocate Jeff Sexton told News 2. “This is normal — this is normal behavior from those guys.”
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This year, the Traffic Unit of the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) conducted 19 street racer initiatives, ultimately resulting in 47 arrests.
Sexton’s advocacy against street racing is motivated by seeking justice for victims like 34-year-old Jake Barnhardt, who was a Navy veteran and father. Barnhardt was killed in a March 2023 crash on Clarksville Pike.
“I promised [Barnhardt] that I would work on this and would try to make sure that nobody else suffered like they did and that we would find a solution,” Sexton said.
The solution Sexton has advocated for is the creation of a standalone, statewide street racer task force. The task force would be proactive in areas where the MNPD may not have as much of a presence.