Indy 500 blog: 188 cited at IMS during Indy 500 weekend

Indy 500 blog: 188 cited at IMS during Indy 500 weekend

Eventi postato da grazia || 7 anni fa

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Indiana State Excise Police cited 188 people at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, including eight who were arrested, according to a news release.

Most of the charges related to minors illegally possessing or consuming alcohol, police said. Last year, excise officers cited 176 people during the Indianapolis 500 weekend.

Indiana State Police also arrested seven people during Indy 500 festivities, including five overnight before the race.

In traffic heading into the track Sunday, police arrested a driver who disregarded traffic instructions around 30th Street and Georgetown Road. A trooper stopped a vehicle to allow for cross-traffic, but the driver went forward against several orders from the trooper to stop, police said — and the vehicle's side mirror struck the trooper. Joey Harlan, 35, of North Dakota, was arrested on preliminary charges of criminal recklessness with a vehicle and resisting arrest.

Near 30th Street and Fuller Drive, a black SUV sped through a parking lot and rammed the metal cable barrier twice, police said. Troopers stopped the vehicle and pulled out its driver. Police say the driver, 28-year-old Crawford Harper Jr. of Indianapolis, stole the SUV from the parking lot while a woman was sleeping in the back seat. Harper was arrested and faces preliminary charges of kidnapping, vehicle theft, resisting law enforcement, criminal confinement and leaving the scene of a crash.

4:50 p.m. update

It took most of the 350,000 Indianapolis fans hours to get to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They weren’t in a hurry to leave.

More than an hour after the race ended Sunday, fans lingered in the grandstands, the merchandise lines and other areas across IMS. They watched on the big screens as winner Alexander Rossi celebrated. And they kissed the famous bricks — albeit the ones off the track — as race winners traditionally do.

Paula Louchart and her husband, Sandy, spent more than $4,500 to travel from Scotland to Indianapolis. They were happy to soak in the atmosphere for as long as possible. Paula knelt down and kissed the bricks as Sandy took a photo.

It’s like a trip of a lifetime for us,” Paula said.

Phil Lenyo, 60, traveled a much shorter distance — from South Bend — but likewise hung out around the track for a while after the race ended. After all, he didn’t expect to be able to drive anywhere right away.

“I’m going to take my time,” he said.

Even though Lenyo plopped down $100 for pre-paid parking and spent more time than he would have liked on Interstate 465, he said it was all worth it.

“The crowd, the performances, a rookie winner – you couldn’t ask for anything better,” he said.

3:21 p.m. update

The partly cloudy skies might be helping race fans keep their cool today.

The law enforcement agencies patrolling Indianapolis Motor Speedway are reporting relatively few arrests as of 3 p.m. The Indiana State Police have arrested two people, and Speedway police have made no arrests so far. A spokeswoman for the Indiana State Excise Police said arrest figures are not yet available.

Sgt. John Perrine of the Indiana State Police could not immediately provide details on the two arrests his department made.

There’s usually a couple locked up by now,” he said. “Because it’s been cooler, it’s going to help us with not as many people getting agitated.”

Yet, he added, there’s still plenty of time for things to take a turn for the worse.

“Usually, if we’re going to lock somebody up, it’s going to be post-race,” he said.

Related:www.graziaaustralia.com

2:45 p.m. update

When winners are tabulated after this year’s Indianapolis 500, the Indianapolis Children’s Choir will land squarely in that column.

Assuming a prominent role in pre-race festivities, the choir sang a stirring rendition of “God Bless America” immediately after the playing of “Taps.” The group also assisted Josh Kaufman in a theatrical interpretation of “(Back Home Again in) Indiana.”

Kaufman, an Indianapolis resident and a 2014 champion of TV’s “The Voice,” released a new single, “Truth Be Told,” at iTunes this weekend.

He said his goal was to be true to “(Back Home Again in) Indiana.”

“Not do too much with it,” he said during an interview before the performance. “Just let the song be what it is.”

 

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