Drivers blocked freeway lanes late Sunday in Richfield, doing burnouts and shooting off fireworks

In the latest case of drivers behaving badly on metro roads, several motorists blocked traffic Sunday night on a west metro freeway, some doing burnouts by spinning their tires in place and others setting off fireworks.

No crashes were reported, and no one was cited as troopers were unable to locate any of the vehicles involved, State Patrol spokesman Lt. Gordon Shank said. But the incident was under investigation, he said.

Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic cameras captured the activities about 10:35 p.m. on westbound Interstate 494 in the vicinity of S. 12th Avenue in Richfield. The traffic blockade lasted just a couple of minutes.

About the same time, the State Patrol received reports of lanes being blocked near Lyndale Avenue, Shank said. It was not immediately clear how many drivers were involved in the shenanigans that for a short time blocked all westbound lanes, Shank said.

MnDOT video posted to social media shows a pack of vehicles, their flashers on, halted on the freeway and some drivers standing outside their vehicles. A few on the right shoulder appear to be setting off fireworks.

"This is a dangerous activity that can result in crashes with injuries or death," Shank said. "Vehicles traveling at freeway speeds are not expecting to come to a complete stop on the highway. If you see something like this happening, please call 911 immediately and report this unsafe behavior."

Just last weekend, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and several other law enforcement agencies stopped more than 150 drivers as part of a crackdown on street racing in downtown Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs.

"To be clear, these are not joy riders. They're extremely dangerous and highly destructive," the Sheriff's Office said on social media.

In early September, Minneapolis police opened fire hydrants and flooded some downtown streets to deter motorists who were drag racing

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768