According to a Dalton Police Department incident report, On April 29th, 2023, at 11:06 PM, Officer McBrayer was patrolling the area of Walnut Avenue near the intersection with Abutment Road when he observed a group of three vehicles traveling east at an extremely high rate of speed. It appeared that all vehicles were participating in a street race. There was a squatted truck that was lifted, leading the pack and pulling away from the other vehicles. Officer McBrayer reported, “This indicated to me that they were traveling faster than the vehicles in the group. As they passed me, [I] activated the rear radar antenna located in my patrol car to get the speed of the fastest vehicle. When the radar locked onto the group, it showed that the fastest vehicle in the group was traveling 71 miles per hour. The speed zone for the area in question is 35 miles per hour.” The officer conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Riverbend Drive and Kate Street. The officer made contact with the driver, Rene Guadalupe Barcenas, 23, of Dalton, and advised him of the reason for the stop. When the officer told him his speed, he stated that he was not going that fast at all. Barcenas was then taken into custody and transported to the Whitfield County Jail. Barcenas was charged with speeding and racing.
Dalton man arrested after racing at a high rate of speed down Walnut Avenue
