ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The event coordinator of a popular car meet up is concerned, after two people were arrested for street racing after his event ended.
Pete Muller is the organizer of Cars and Coffee. It’s monthly event for car enthusiasts that’s legal. But on Sunday just outside the Full Sail University parking lot, after his event ended, he says people started racing.
“I was totally shocked because we go through a lot to make sure everyone is safe at these events.” Orange County Sheriff Lt Mike Crabb explains, “There was no issues at all until they decided to pull out. They pulled out on the road and 30 people came running over to them into a burnout or race.”
Deputies arrested 18-year-old Joseph Davis and his passenger Caleb Butler for street racing. According to deputies, around 30 people walked onto the sidewalk of Semoran Blvd and started filming and cheering as vehicles started leaving the lot. One driver in a BMW then drove recklessly doing burnouts and fishtailing from side to side creating smoke. Lt Crabb says, “Could have easily lost control gone up on the curb and taken out ten or fifteen people.”
Laurie Broadus says her son Shawn died street racing on the same street back in 2006.“My son was killed on 2:20 in the afternoon on Semoran. So it doesn’t matter day or night. It’s an adrenaline rush.” Lt Crabb says the street racing crackdowns are working.
Last year they made 65 arrests, this year it’s down to 45 arrests. Lt Crabb says, “We have no issues with Park and Chills (car meetups). It’s the activity from a very small percentage that creates havoc and endangers the public that we have issues with.” Muller says it’s concerning, “It’s annoying because it creates a bad image for the car scene, the legitimate car scene.”
A Full Sail University spokesperson says the event was not school sponsored. And the organizer was told that they won’t be allowing his events there in the future.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2025 Cox Media Group
