Drivers Cited in Separate High-Speed Racing Incidents in Forsyth and Duluth

A Forsyth County deputy stopped a Ford Mustang and a BMW 440i after watching them race on Old Atlanta Road near James Burgess Road on Feb. 13, 2026, then used a loudspeaker to order the vehicles to stop. The deputy said the cars had pulled up side by side at a red light, accelerated together when it turned green, and were detained at the scene; both drivers were later arrested on misdemeanor racing and reckless driving charges.

According to the sheriff’s office account, the BMW was driven by an 18-year-old man and the Mustang by a 17-year-old male. The 18-year-old told deputies he and the Mustang’s driver were friends and that they were not racing. A second deputy who responded said he saw a person running from the Mustang toward nearby woods; the 17-year-old momentarily eluded capture but was apprehended later that day.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office charged both males with misdemeanor racing and reckless driving; the office has not released names or published measured speeds for the Old Atlanta Road encounter. Deputies reported only that the vehicles “accelerated together at a high rate of speed” when the light changed and that tactical use of a loudspeaker ended the incident without an immediate collision.

Separate high-speed enforcement actions in Duluth highlight a broader regional pattern. Duluth police said an incident on Pleasant Hill Road around 9:55 a.m. on May 26 involved two white vehicles traveling eastbound side-by-side, each clocked at about 80 mph in a 45 mph zone; officers using a speed-detection device tracked one vehicle at 1,100 feet and the other at 1,156 feet before making traffic stops at a business near McClure Bridge Road. Those stops identified Jonathan Mendez of Norcross and 19-year-old James Baltimore of Alpharetta; Baltimore was cited for speeding, racing, failing to register his vehicle within 30 days of residency, and driving without his license on his person.

In a separate Duluth case, dash camera video and plate recognition led officers to arrest 19-year-old Brandon Yanez and 24-year-old John Rembert after they were clocked at much higher speed. Investigators reported a top recorded speed of 103 mph, and officers can be heard on video saying, “When you were racing that other car, we got you camera, got your license plate on camera.” Both men were charged with misdemeanor racing and reckless driving and bonded out.

Regional enforcement has produced larger sweeps in neighboring Gwinnett County as well; police reported arresting more than 80 people in one operation near Peachtree Corners Circle and Spalding Drive and cited additional cases in which street-racing stops uncovered drug and firearms allegations. Gwinnett police emphasized the public-safety stakes, saying, “The dangerous and illegal practices of stunt driving and street racing are a danger to Gwinnett residents on our roads,” and that these activities “risk injury and even death to participants and other motorists and they damage the roads costing taxpayers for repairs.”

Forsyth deputies’ account leaves questions about exact speeds and booking details for the two juveniles arrested on Feb. 13; the sheriff’s office has not released identifying information or bond and court dates in its public summary.