A Gwinnett County 19-year-old was arrested last week and charged with organizing at least two illegal street racing meetups in the past year, including one that involved about 500 cars.
Mathew Dylan McCullock of Buford was taken into custody Jan. 11, according to Gwinnett police. He is charged with one count of organizing illegal street racing or a reckless driving exhibition and one count of being a spectator of or participant in an illegal street race or reckless driving exhibition.
Investigators first identified McCullock as a participant in an illegal stunt driving meetup at the intersection of Old Norcross Road and Breckinridge Boulevard in March 2023, police said. He is also suspected of organizing an event Dec. 23 that involved hundreds of cars illegally racing around the parking lot of a large strip mall at 4125 Buford Drive in Buford.
According to the incident report from the Dec. 23 meetup, the event was organized through an Instagram account called Project 85. In a now-deleted post, the account shared the event details, which read, “Park & Chill: Saturday, December 23 from 8-11 p.m.... No revving No hooning No burnouts. Come pop out with clean whips and good vibes.”
When officers arrived, the event had grown to about 500 cars with a large crowd of spectators, the report said. Once cars began stunt driving in the parking lot, officers blocked the exits and arrested two of the drivers. They allowed the rest of the cars to leave but recorded their license plates as they exited.
As investigators worked the case, they learned that the earlier March event had also been organized by Project 85, the report said. Detectives were able to review body-worn camera footage of an officer interviewing McCullock, who said he was the organizer behind the Project 85 account, according to the report.
On Jan. 11, detectives went to McCullock’s house to interview him about the stunt driving incidents. According to the report, his modified Kia Forte was in the driveway at the house with a “P85″ sticker, and when McCullock arrived home, he was wearing a black Project 85 hoodie.
During a police interview, McCullock gave vague answers, including that the page was run by a group of people and that he didn’t know who the others were, the report said. However, McCullock said he had created a Project 85 LLC and that he sold merchandise like stickers and shirts with the group’s logo.
McCullock was placed under arrest and taken to the Gwinnett jail, according to the report.
About the Author
