Deputies say a Miami man turned an Instagram group chat into a street takeover calendar, and now he is facing criminal charges after traffic ground to a halt across Miami-Dade and parts of Broward. On Tuesday, authorities booked 25-year-old Bryan Jose Portillo-Perez on five counts of coordinated highway drag racing, according to jail records. Investigators say his social media posts drew dozens of cars to each meetup, where drivers allegedly whipped into donuts while crowds packed into the middle of intersections to film the action. The arrest comes as the sheriff's office leans into intelligence-led crackdowns on organized takeover crews.
According to NBC 6 South Florida, the arrest report says Portillo-Perez shared a flyer on March 29 that listed four locations and times, and that roughly 50 to 60 vehicles showed up in response to each post. The report describes crowds of "spinners" carving donuts in a central area, with "drivers perform[ing] stunts within the intersection, dubbed the pit," as spectators sprinted into the middle to record it all on their phones. The arrest is part of a broader investigation handled by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Homeland Security Bureau's Intelligence and Investigations Section.
In a separate but related scare, Margate police responding to another reported takeover say an officer was hit by a vehicle as it tried to flee, sending the officer for medical treatment. That collision prompted another officer to fire toward the fleeing car, and authorities are still searching for the driver, as reported by CBS Miami. Local agencies say these impromptu stunt shows do more than annoy drivers, warning they can trap bystanders in harm's way and block ambulances or fire crews from getting to crashes or medical emergencies.
How investigators say the coordination worked
Detectives allege Portillo-Perez pumped out takeover flyers through an Instagram group chat that pushed out locations in both Margate and Miami-Dade. Each advertised meet, investigators say, pulled in drivers looking to show off stunts along with dozens of spectators crowding the streets to watch. Those details are spelled out in arrest documents reviewed by NBC 6 South Florida.
State law expanded penalties after a run of takeovers
In 2024, state lawmakers rewrote Florida's drag-racing laws to formally define a "coordinated street takeover" and to expand penalties, including potential vehicle forfeiture and tougher criminal exposure, according to the bill text. The Florida Senate notes that the measure zeroes in on organized events involving 10 or more vehicles, giving prosecutors new tools to pursue alleged organizers as well as the drivers behind the wheel. Hoodline has previously reported on similar Miami-Dade enforcement surges as agencies have shifted toward intelligence-led strategies to disrupt takeover networks at the planning stage.
What authorities say and next steps
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office says the investigation is still active, and detectives are continuing to watch the same social media channels used to set up the meetups. The agency is urging anyone with video or information to send tips to Crime Stoppers. Miami-Dade County has run multiple "No Tolerance" operations in recent months and says coordinated enforcement will continue. Once detectives wrap their work, prosecutors are expected to review the file and decide whether to pursue additional charges beyond the coordinated drag-racing counts already filed.
