Texas police arrest accused ‘ringleader’ in DFW intersection takeover on New Year’s Eve

GRAPEVINE, Texas. Police said a Texas man identified as the leader of a group of drivers who carried out the “intersection takeover” has been arrested.

Grapevine Police Department (GPD) reported that Sweetwater Police officers arrested 22-year-old Juan Carlos Rodriguez and was charged with participating in organized crime, a felony in state prison. An arrest warrant for Rodriguez was issued on February 9. Rodriguez was arrested on February 21st.

Crossroad hijacking Rodriguez was arrested and charged in connection with the New Year’s Eve incident. GPD said Grapevine dispatchers received 911 calls just after 11 p.m. on December 31, 2022, with reports of cars starting engines, squealing tires and acting dangerously at the intersection of Main Street and Dallas Road.

Grapevine officers reacted and attempted to “pursue those involved in the crime,” but the suspects left due to a large crowd and several pedestrians on the road, police said.

Grapevine police said officers gathered vehicle and license plate information, videos of the crime were later posted on social media, and with the help of the Dallas police, they were able to identify Rodriguez as the mastermind.

Rodriguez is in the Nolan County Jail and faces 180 days to two years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines if found guilty, Grapevine police said.

Rodriguez’s arrest comes after a video of the takeover of another street in Austin garnered millions of views on social media and led to the arrest of seven people, including a Dallas resident.