2 Salem men accused of organizing speed racing at protest against immigration enforcement

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Two Salem men are accused of coordinating speed racing during a protest against national immigration enforcement which police described as a “street takeover” on Feb. 1 in northeast Salem.

Detectives on Thursday arrested Miguel Garcia-Ramirez, 27, and Armando Castaneda-Lopez, 30, on accusations of organizing a speed racing event, second-degree disorderly conduct and third-degree criminal mischief, the Salem Police Department said in a news release Friday morning.

Garcia-Ramirez is also accused of conspiracy to commit reckless driving and Castaneda-Lopez is accused of reckless driving.

The hours-long protest started peacefully but eventually devolved into demonstrators blocking the intersection of Northeast Lancaster Drive and Northeast Market Street, driving dangerously and throwing objects at cars, according to Salem police.

The agency said the arrested men’s vehicles were used at the intersection to “perform dangerous burnouts,” where drivers spin the wheels of parked cars to create smoke.

Under state law, a speed racing event “is preplanned and coordinated and involves two or more vehicles.” It could include conduct such as a contest or exhibition of speed or acceleration. 

Police said both men were arrested and lodged at the Marion County Jail. The jail’s roster did not show them in custody as of Friday.

Garcia-Ramirez’ 2019 Dodge Charger and Castaneda-Lopez’ 1999 BMW 328 were towed.

Organizing a speed racing event is a class C felony.

Police said they will continue follow-up investigations of several complaints of “criminal activity” the night of the protest and will update their statement as they make additional arrests. 

The protest came as the Trump administration is commissioning what it recently described as “the largest massive deportation operation in history,” with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents planning or making arrests during raids throughout the U.S.

Photos on social media showed hundreds of people gathered earlier that day along Lancaster, waving Mexican and American flags and waving signs saying “no one is illegal” and “families belong together.”

Salem police said the crowd gathered around noon and amassed an estimated 300 participants within two hours.

Police arrested five Salem residents at the protest for accusations including reckless driving, disorderly conduct and one for unlawful possession of a firearm, their ages ranging from 18 to 34. Salem Reporter generally does not identify people who have been arrested but not formally charged with a crime unless they are accused of significant felony conduct.

The five people originally arrested were all accused by police of misdemeanors. Such crimes don’t typically result in people being held in jail, which allows prosecutors several weeks to review the accusations and decide whether to file charges. None have been charged with a crime, court records showed.

A police statement on Feb. 2 said the gathering caused traffic congestion but was “relatively peaceful.” As the day went on, reports that protestors were throwing objects and hitting passing cars drew a larger police response.

Salem police received reports around 7 p.m. that participants were standing in the crosswalk blocking traffic, igniting fireworks and driving recklessly.

Police at that point requested backup, including calling officers from home and from two other agencies. 

Drivers overtook the intersection around 8:30 p.m., performing burnouts, drifting and spinning in the road, according to the police statement. Nearly 50 people also stood in the street.

Around 15 minutes later, police closed off the area to traffic and Cherriots buses were rerouted.

Salem police said as crowd management officers arrived, the group surrounded a vehicle on Lancaster, blocking traffic headed north. Officers cleared the area and allowed the vehicle to proceed. 

They said protestors also threw water bottles and beer cans at Salem police vehicles. 

“The remaining crowd gathered on the sidewalks dispersed slowly, and traffic diminished,” police said. The streets were reopened around 11 p.m.

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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