CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Council passed an emergency street racing ordinance Wednesday, just one day after several people were arrested for allegedly trespassing and street racing on Paycor Stadium property, according to police.
Officers responded to the stadium just after midnight Tuesday when security called and reported people were racing in the terrace nearby.
Six people were arrested. One of those people, 28-year-old Temur Nurmatov, has been charged with drag racing and criminal trespass. According to the ticket filed in his case, Nurmatov is accused of street racing and doing burnouts in a gray Ford Mustang; court documents say a Cincinnati police drone unit saw Nurmatov on Paycor Stadium property for 30 minutes.
Court records also show 19-year-old Madina Esenova, 23-year-old Bekdillo Khamidullaev, 21-year-old Dilmurod Nurmatov, 28-year-old Akhmadjon Valiev and 23-year-old Momtozakhon Zaburova were all also charged with criminal trespass for being on Paycor Stadium property.
Watch below to see the scene before and after the arrests:
Our crew at the scene saw police towing five vehicles away from the area.
Outside Paycor Stadium's Fifth Third Gate, tire tracks could be seen on the ground; the tracks appear to show drivers doing donuts just outside the stadium's gates.
Just hours after the arrests, the Cincinnati City Council Public Safety and Quality of Life Committee Meeting unanimously advanced the "Street Racing, Stunt Driving, and Street Takeover" emergency ordinance proposed by council member Mark Jeffreys last week.
On Wednesday, the ordinance passed the full council.
The ordinance will raise fines for those involved in street racing or takeovers: $1,250 for a first offense and $2,500 for a second. It also makes participation in a street takeover a first-degree misdemeanor under the Cincinnati Municipal Code.
"I wish we could take your car for a year and suspend your driver's license for a year. I think it's so irresponsible to have the privilege of a driver's license and you're operating a 3,000-pound weapon like that," council member Scotty Johnson said.
It also allows the city to impound cars for six months.
Current city fees for impounded vehicles include a $190 tow fee and a $25 per day storage charge at the impound lot.
The ordinance was inspired by a massive takeover in Woodward High School's parking lot in March, which led to 39 arrests and the impoundment of more than 60 vehicles.
"In March, 85% of those people were not from Cincinnati; our streets are not race tracks, this is really dangerous behavior. People have died from this," Jeffreys said.
WATCH: Cincinnati is revving up penalties for street takeovers. Here's what the proposed rules will do
We asked Jeffreys if the ordinance would apply to minors differently. He said there will be an appeal process for parents if the child is using someone else's car.
"They can get the car out, they have to pay the fine — they have to admit first that they did — they have to pay the fines, that's $1,250 for the first offense, and then they can get their car," Jeffreys said.
In drafting the new rules, Jeffreys said the city drew inspiration from the city of Louisville, which went through a similar crackdown on street takeovers in 2023.
"What we've seen in Louisville (is) that this has started to clamp down on a lot of these activities," he said. "The six-month (rule) was really something that Louisville has done, and it's proved very effective."
Council members added that it's a huge drain on police resources, stating that if it's prevented ahead of time, then those resources could go to other urgent needs in the community.
"If this is not enough, we're going to dig deep to make sure this Cincinnati is not the place to come and play these types of ridiculous childish games," Johnson said.
Council member Meeka Owens said the proposed rules come at the right time, ahead of the summer months.
"It is very jarring to know that people are just kind of cavalierly deciding to do this in communities," Owens said. "As we think about people gathering and congregating and wanting to be outdoors, this is certainly something that we should be touting."
Since it was passed, the emergency ordinance will take effect immediately.
