Fresno police crack down on cruising along Blackstone Avenue

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno police are once again trying to stop teenage drivers from using one of the busiest streets in the city for cruising.

Thousands of people headed out to Blackstone Avenue on Sunday night, according to police. Officers say they can't arrest people for cruising, but they can arrest them for speeding, loitering, drug use and burning out in open parking lots.

"When we first arrived, we had some people up in one of the parking lots doing burnouts. Of course they towed that car away once they were able to get to it," said Eric Hodge of the Fresno Police Department. "We're getting a lot of street racing, racing from light to light. We found some drinking activity. We just got a report from down the street from the security guards that they've got a problem with people doing drugs out in the parking lots. We get a little bit of everything."

Officers patrolled the area and were stationed at different spots on Blackstone Avenue to keep traffic moving.

Police say about 80 percent of the people that they pull over are not from Fresno; they are generally from outlying towns, and they come to Fresno to hang out and show off their vehicles.