Five people were arrested, and seven vehicles and seven guns seized in a Birmingham Police Department operation aimed at putting the brakes on street racers and exhibition drivers.

Operation Knight Rider was held the weekend of April 12 at an undisclosed spot known for the illegal activity that police say is a nuisance for residents and a danger for all involved.

Last year, Mayor Randall Woodfin approached the leadership at the police department, asking for a plan to combat street racing and exhibition driving.

“We noticed in our colder months, the weather did our job for us,’’ said Officer Truman Fitzgerald. “But when April came around, we noticed exhibition driving and street racing incidents rose back up, and the complaints from residents.”

Video has surfaced on social media in recent weeks, as have complaints from those who live in areas where the events are taking place.

Deputy Chief Michael Pickett, who oversees the department’s Special Operations Bureau, took on the project, and the first operation of 2024 took place two weeks ago.

Pickett’s team analyzes data and that data is used to narrow down and target hotspots for resource deployment. Police also encourage residents to call in with tips.

“We are going to show these criminal offenders that the streets of Birmingham are not going to be a place where you are going to showcase your vehicle’s abilities,’’ Pickett said.

Woodfin joined members of the Jefferson County legislative delegation in November 2022 to announce plans to file a bill to prohibit and impose penalties for certain forms of “exhibition driving,” which includes street and drag racing, burnouts, donuts, and similar activities defined within the bill.

That legislation was passed and signed by Gov. Kay Ivey last year.

Previously, drivers could only get a ticket.

Now, they face a minimum of misdemeanor charges, and up to a Class B felony if someone is injured or killed, or if there is property damage.

“The goal and focus of Operation Knight Rider is to target these criminal offenders who are wreaking havoc on our city streets and affecting the daily lives of our community members,’’ Pickett said.

“When we first had the laws passed, we were more in the educational phase,’’ he said. “We are now in enforcement mode.”

Outside law enforcement agencies, especially the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, are partnering with BPD in their efforts.

“We saw great success the first weekend,’’ he said.

Those arrested in the first operation are:

• Shamarionne Knott, 23, was charged with exhibition driving, felony attempting to elude, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of marijuana, receiving stolen property and unlawful possession of a drug paraphernalia. Police impounded a 2022 Chevrolet Camaro that was confirmed stolen and seized three guns – including one with an illegal Glock switch. They also confiscated 1 pound of marijuana, 17 grams of moon rocks (weed), and $3,195.
• Janiya Renee Miles, 20, was charged with exhibition driving. Police impounded a 2009 Dodge Charger and recovered a 9mm Smith & Wesson.
• Jordan Shakeel, 23, was charged with felony attempting to elude. Police impounded a 2013 Infiniti G37 and seized a semi-automatic handgun.
• Jalan O’Neal-Brown, 24, was charged with felony attempting to elude and second-degree theft of property. Police impounded a 2014 lime green Dodge Charger and recovered a semi-automatic handgun.
• Cordarius Morgan, 22, first-degree receiving stolen property.

Fitzgerald said of the seven vehicles seized, three of them were confirmed stolen and two others were suspected as stolen.

“Many of these offenders had access to guns during their arrests,’’ he said. “We see this often that offenders of exhibition driving and street racing are more than likely armed, heavily armed.”

Oftentimes the exhibition drivers are owners of hot items on the market – Dodge Chargers and Dodge Challengers – and those in possession of those vehicles are armed because they know people want their cars.

“I don’t want to pain the picture that they’re violent, out-of-control criminals because the evidence doesn’t show that they are, but we want the public to realize that people have been killed during exhibition driving,’’ he said.

Ja’Kia Winston, the 19-year-old mother of an 18-month-old son, was killed in 2022 when Ronald Demetrius White pulled out a gun and started firing after a crash during an exhibition driving event. White pleaded guilty last year.

“We want to put the message out there to people who say, ‘What’s the big deal? They’re just having fun,’ that these are not just individuals trying to show of their driving skills and have a good time,’’ Fitzgerald said. “These are heavily armed individuals.”

Fitzgerald police often hear complaints from community members that officers have observed street racing and exhibition driving and they “didn’t do anything about it.”

“Safety is the No. 1 priority in any arrest scenario, in any enforcement action,’’ Fitzgerald said. “Our officers have to factor in the safety of the public as well as their own safety, and the safety those responsible for the (criminal) acts.”

“What we have seen is that when we as law enforcement officers don’t have a smart approach, we can put either the general public at risk or the drivers responsible at risk as well,’’ he said. “We don’t want anyone injured from this.”