More than 100 street racers were cited Saturday night in Mendota Heights in the same spot where a police officer was struck and injured by a racer last year, authorities said.

Mendota Heights Police Chief Kelly McCarthy said the racing is nothing new and happens every year.

“They drive recklessly, the neighbors complain, it’s alarming,” she said, noting that she doesn’t view the racers as “bad guys.”

“I kind of feel for them. I know they put in a lot of time and money into their vehicles, but the traffic laws need to be followed,” she said.

The sting Saturday night involved officers from Mendota Heights, West St. Paul, Eagan and the Minnesota State Patrol.

“I don’t know how often they meet in Mendota Heights, but all last year we warned as many as we could. When we had an officer struck by one of them, we sort of lost our sense of humor about it,” McCarthy said. “Two weeks ago we had a large group out racing, and I put something on Facebook saying if they did it again they would get cited.”

The officer struck last year on Mendota Heights Road was trying to stop a large group of racers when one fled and hit her, the chief said. The officer was not seriously injured and was treated and released for her injuries.

