VIDEO: Stunt drivers take over Lower Garden District intersection

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Another instance of stunt driving was caught on camera. This time at a busy intersection in the Lower Garden District.

This comes as NOPD makes an arrest in another stunt driving incident that unfolded in front of an officer.

The City Council is also preparing to vote on an ordinance Thursday they hope will deter reckless driving.

You can still see the scars at the intersection of Annunciation and Calliope.

“Just tons of people pulled over, just traffic all backed up and there were just, I saw probably at least five or six different cars, like a white truck, a white Corvette, red Mustang, just taking their turns and they had people hanging out on the passenger side,” Misty Guzman said.

It’s a busy intersection where drivers come flying off the Ponchartrain Expressway. Guzman says she watched regular drivers get caught up and stuck.

“They were trying to figure out how to get out of it because they were actually driving backwards down the street and then they were turning on this one way just to get out of it,” Guzman said. “It went on for at least 20, 30 minutes and I saw blue lights, so I assumed somebody had called the police, but they did nothing.”

Under the Consent Decree, NOPD officers are not authorized to pursue someone who presents no imminent threat of death or serious injury.

Many people were upset to see this kind of driving happening in front of an officer earlier this month, at the intersection of Claiborne and Columbus Street.

“The officer who was there showed great restraint,” Councilmember Eugene Greene said about the incident. “I know it’s got to be tough to sit there and see that done but he had people in front of him, people all around.”

NOPD has since tracked down and arrested the alleged driver, Shon Claiborne, 24, on a charge of reckless operation of a motor vehicle.

CONTINUING COVERAGE

WATCH: Driver nearly hits NOPD unit while doing donuts on Claiborne Avenue

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NOPD seeks ‘persons of interest’ in connection with February reckless driving exhibition in CBD

Now, Greene is introducing an ordinance that targets the people who perform these stunts as well as the spectators that gather in an effort to put an end to it.

Many residents all over the city like Guzman, they’re in need of some relief.

“They were driving so fast down the street when they would finish it was like, God, if somebody was crossing the street or even an animal they would have annihilated them,’ Guzman said. “Just no care for safety and I get it, they love to do their car tricks. I understand it. It is kind of fascinating to watch but not like that, not like that. Not there. There’s so many things that could have gone wrong.”

If the ordinance passes, the first offense would come with a $1,000 fine. The second time, a driver would have to forfeit their vehicle until they pay a $5,000 fine.

Greene says officers may not be able to arrest people on scene, but cameras throughout the city would assist in tracking drivers down.

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