Multiple people charged, at least five vehicles seized in Newton street racing ring

The State Highway Patrol charged seven men and seized five sports cars suspected of speeding in a pre-arranged race on U.S. 321 in Catawba County on Sunday afternoon.

Numerous drivers notified the Highway Patrol about a speeding group of sports cars at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday, the Highway Patrol said in a statement Monday night. Troopers stopped nine cars and an SUV near exit 41.

A group of people blocked traffic to race along the highway in Newton, Observer news partner WBTV reported, quoting troopers. The group created hazardous conditions for other drivers and nearly caused several wrecks, troopers told WBTV. Troopers said the cars were racing at speeds over 100 mph, according to the station.

The seized high-performance cars are BMWs, WBTV reported. Monday’s Highway Patrol statement said the cars are in the custody of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Two car drivers escaped.

None of the vehicles had tags registered in North Carolina, troopers told WBTV. The cars are valued at over $90,000.

According to the Highway Patrol, the SUV was filming the competttion, WBTV reported.

The Highway Patrol issued charges after consulting with the Catawba and Lincoln county district attorney’s oficces, the HIghway Patrol sattement said,.

Charged were:

Brennan T. Rowe, 22, of Wayne, N.J., with impeding traffic and exceeding posted speed limit.

Anthony W. Obrien, 20, of Havre de Grace, Md., with impeding traffic and prearranged racing.

Hoang T. Nguyen, 44, of Allen, Texas, with impeding traffic and prearranged racing.

Tran Hai Phi, 26, of Jacksonville, Fla., with impeding traffic and prearranged racing.

Haroon Masood, 27, of Philadelphia, Pa., with impeding traffic and prearranged racing.

Tamer Arslanouk, 24, of Waynesville, N.J., with impeding traffic.

Saad Ahmed Gil, 25, of Philadelphia, Pa., with impeding traffic and prearranged racing.

This story was originally published July 17, 2017 at 7:06 AM with the headline "Multiple people charged, at least five vehicles seized in Newton street racing ring."