Gold Coast crime: Police to target organisers of hoon meets under ‘out-of-control event’ laws

Organisers of large scale Gold Coast hoon meets could be jailed for up to three years and billed for the police response to their dangerous antics under out-of-control event laws.

ORGANISERS of large scale Gold Coast hoon meets could be jailed for up to three years and billed for the police response to their dangerous antics under out-of-control event laws.

Police are also investigating links between the large-scale car meets on the Gold Coast and known hoon gangs across southeast Queensland.

The Bulletin can reveal police are exploring how the legislation, aimed at targeting unruly parties and events, can be used to target organisers of the hoon meets on the Gold Coast.

Police say they’ve narrowed down a “core group” of people who they believe are organisers of the large-scale hoon meets, which are organised through social media and application platforms.

A group of Gold Coast hoons calling themselves the "Mexican Hoon Cartel" have been terrorising suburban streets around the city.

Under out-of-control events laws, organisers face up to three years’ jail and can be forced to pay costs involved in policing the incident if found guilty.

Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman said a weekend when 1000 people and 600 cars gathered in a northern Gold Coast car park, performed burnouts and targeted patrol vehicles was a “watershed moment”. He said police had been actively targeting meets since under operation Tango Vinyl expected to run for the rest of 2021.

So far 52 people have been charged with 68 offences. Hundreds of tickets have been issued and 16 vehicles seized.

“We believe there’s a core group arranging these activities and we are using a multitude of strategies to unmask and identity these individuals with a view of taking appropriate action against them as organisers of these events in due course,” Chief Supt Wildman said. He confirmed police were exploring a variety of avenues to prosecute the organisers of Gold Coast meets including the use of the Out-Of-Control Event laws in place since 2014.

“Apart from the driving behaviour of individuals … we are also exploring … prosecuting the organising of these events as another prevention strategy.”

Since the first weekend of April numbers had dwindled, and police say the meets had since dispersed to other areas around southeast Queensland.

Police say the number of meets has dwindled.

Police are still investigating offences from hoon meets across multiple weekends.

“Although you might not get caught on the night; at any time, at your work, or at home, the police can turn up at your door. And waiting out the front will be the police … but you’ll likely see a tow truck there as well,” Chief Supt Wildman said.

PREVIOUSLY: POLICE PUT HOONS ON NOTICE

GOLD Coast police fed up with back-to-back weekends of illegal car gatherings have put reckless hoons on notice: “We know when the next one will be, and we’ll come and meet you.”

Police revealed officers had seized three vehicles, charged eight people and issued almost 100 fines after 1000 revellers and 600 cars gathered at the Pimpama Bunnings Warehouse car park on Saturday night.

Police officers and patrol cars were pelted with rocks, bottles and fireworks at the “out-of-control” event.

A teen on a stretcher with emergency services at the scene of a Molendinar crash. Picture: LLN Australia

But a 22-year-old man who was at the event defended the “innocent car meet” and questioned the issue of “cruising down a highway or going to industrial places” if it’s away from people.

Gold Coast Acting Chief Superintendent Geoff Sheldon on Tuesday slammed Saturday night’s “disgraceful behaviour” and put the hoons on notice.

“We haven’t seen 1000 people like this too often. Our message is that you can’t keep a secret among 1000 people. We know when the next one will be, and we will come and meet you,” he said.

Queensland Police Acting Chief Supt Geoff Sheldon. Photo Scott Powick Newscorp

“We’ve taken action against one in 10 when we weren’t fully prepared. Now we will be, and be warned, we will be there to take action against anyone displaying anti-social behaviour.”

Eight people, aged 17 to 26, have been charged with a range of offences including dangerous operations of a motor vehicle and one count each of evade, wilful damage, drink driving, disqualified driving and two counts of drug driving.

Three vehicles were impounded and 93 traffic fines issued for various offences including defective vehicle, speeding and obstruct traffic.

Gold Coast police fed up with back-to-back weekends of illegal car gatherings have put reckless hoons on notice.

Chief Supt Sheldon also said hoons’ obsession with filming their antics worked in their favour.

“These young hoons live (for) social media. All of a sudden we find ourselves getting footage, getting phones and we’ve got a large number of arrests to continue with now from observations from their own cameras, our cameras, and following up even further, and keeping the tow-trucks employed.”

Police and emergency services treating a teen at the scene of a Molendinar crash. Picture: LLN Australia

He also praised the new anti-hooning laws before parliament, in which the registered owner of a vehicle would be held responsible except where the vehicle is stolen or the owner can identify another driver.

But a man who was at the gathering said it was an “an innocent car meet until things got out of hand”.

“Because the word hoon or skids was mentioned, the police had to get involved,” he said.

“Everyone met up doing nothing but looking at cars at the Bunnings car park. It was just a meet up,” he said.

He said that there was little to no venue that was cost effective for them to go to.

“Cruising down a highway or going to industrial places to have fun shouldn’t be a big problem if we are away from people.”

The man said the car meets rarely ended the way they did the other night.

Chief Supt Sheldon said police worked with genuine car enthusiasts during safe-car meets, but Saturday was just dangerous.

A teen on a stretcher with emergency services at the scene of a Molendinar crash. Picture: LLN Australia

“If you find yourself at one of these events and people are doing burnouts and smashing things, there’s a big hint for you to get out of there before we get there because we will not be taking a backwards step in … enforcing any action, on anyone at any time that they are there.

“Would these events occur if it wasn’t for the 500 or 600 people standing there egging them on and filming them? It appears to be one of those things where it’s exciting to do it, and it’s just as exciting to relive it on social media 1000 times and share it amongst your friends. That’s great because we then get it and we use that against you.”

Investigations are ongoing.

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