TYSONS, Va. — Two men have been arrested and charged in connection to a viral video of two drivers racing in Fairfax County on October 13.
The video was posted on October 28, to X, formerly known as Twitter. Since then, the video was shared by X Chairman and Tesla CEO billionaire Elon Musk on the social media platform. As of Friday, the post had more than 146 million views.
Police identified the driver of the Cybertruck as Christian Camacho, 48, of Vienna, and the driver of the Lamborghini as Carlos Montero, 37, of Sterling,
The video was recorded in Fairfax County, specifically at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Tyco Road in Tysons. It shows the driver of a blue Lamborghini turn on to Leesburg Pike off of Tyco Road. The driver pulls up next to a Tesla Cybertruck that is stopped in the crosswalk of the intersection.
On Nov. 1, investigators say Camacho turned himself in at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and was charged with Racing and Stopping on the Highway. Montero was arrested the same day and taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. He was charged with Racing, Stopping on the Highway, and two counts of Improper Lane Change. Both were later released on an unsecured bond.
Police say they're still searching for the "flagger."
This video appears to be one of several, that have been recorded at the intersection, according to videos posted on this YouTube page.
Street racing is considered a form of reckless driving under Virginia law. Fairfax County Police confirmed to WUSA9 Tuesday night that they were actively investigating the video.
"To us, this is a very violent crime," said Fairfax County Police Assistant Chief Robert Blakely.
Asst. Chief Blakely called it a brazen incident.
"As all of you know, the streets are packed full of people on top of spectators arriving. It's important to understand the context. Thirty-seven people have died on the roadways in Fairfax County this year in traffic crashes," said Blakely.
He said they've charged 12 people in connection to street racing and street takeovers in the county just this year.
"There are a large number of groups who profit from this kind of industry, by posting videos on social media. Social media plays a role in making people think it's a cool thing to do and I think it's our job to bring it back to reality that this is a very dangerous thing to do," he said.
County leaders told WUSA9 something needs to change.
"It's not fun. It's not funny. It's not social media fodder," said Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw who represents the Braddock District.
He's the chair of the board's legislative committee. He says they're pushing for stronger laws to be passed in the upcoming Virginia General Assembly, to address the issue.
"We have some tools already in the code to charge drivers who are participating. We want to get stronger tools and expand some of the definitions so that some of the activities like burnouts, donuts or wheelies are specifically defined in the code of Virginia and stronger tools to charge organizers," said Walkinshaw.
He told WUSA9 that these street races and street takeovers are not only dangerous for the drivers, but for spectators and people who are just walking by.
"All it takes is one wrong move, one car bumping into the other for one to spin and hit someone. Someone who came because they thought it was fun, might leave without their life," he said.