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Street racing can have deadly — and costly — consequences, Gatineau police warn after breaking up a street race that was organized on Facebook May 11.

At about 9:30 p.m. that night, police were called to vehicles racing on Saint-René Boulevard West.

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Most quickly dispersed when officers arrived but police found vehicles blocking the entrances of a parking lot as if keeping watch and orange cones had been set out, signalling it was an organized event.

Officers investigated and discovered that a Facebook event invited “fans of cars and speed” to take part in a street race from the parking lot of an unwitting Boulevard de la Cité business along Saint-René Boulevard West to Montée Paiement and then back to the starting point.

“Public roads and streets are not race tracks,” police said, pointing to potentially-deadly consequences for pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists.

No one was charged in that incident but police say that anyone participating in such an event could face criminal charges if someone is hurt or killed and Highway Safety Code penalties including: