This week, a Maricopa County Judge sentenced a prolific street racer, Jessie Ray Luna-Espinoza to two and a half years in prison to be served in the Arizona Department of Corrections. The 33-year-old Luna-Espinoza pleaded guilty in August to one count of misconduct involving weapons, a class four felony and one count of racing, a class six felony.
Luna-Espinoza is known in the illicit street racing community as an organizer, who uses social media platforms to entice and engage others in the community in committing this type of illegal and dangerous activity. Luna-Espinoza also has prior racing convictions. The two counts in his sentencing stem from two separate dates in which he took part in street racing activities.
In recent months, the Valley has seen several street racing crashes that have taken innocent lives. In 2019, the Phoenix Police Street Racing Task Force was created to address this issue valley wide. Since its inception, the task force has submitted 8108 charges to our office, issued 648 civil speeding tickets, impounded 844 vehicles and submitted 294 race-related trespassing charges.
“Street racing is a threat to the safety of our community. Prosecutors and law enforcement have been combating this issue for years. To those who take over our streets, who defy law enforcement, and who put innocent lives in danger, we will hold you accountable,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.