Did A Texas Cop Let A 140 MPH Street Racer Off With A Warning?

Even if you don't live in a state where excessive speed is looked upon as a crime on the same level as sexual battery, it's safe to assume that street racing well above 100 mph will mean a trip to jail just about anywhere. So what happened with these high-speed tuners in Texas?

This recent clip of a street race from the DVD "Texas Streets THE HUNT" shows a cluster of cars, including a 970 horsepower Ford Mustang and 800 horsepower Nissan GT-R, turning a highway into their playground until a police car shows up.

And then, inexplicably, he apparently lets them go with a warning. (Some NSFW language in the video below, which should be counted as your daily Jalopnik reminder that street racing is moronic.)

"At least try to get them to cut it out for the night," the officer apparently says in audio recorded inside the Mustang. "I don't want to ticket anyone. They've been doing it since about 1 o'clock in the morning and you know, from some point, I said fuck it, as long as you're not hurting anybody, but now traffic is starting."

So it's cool that they hit 140 mph on a highway, as long as it's early in the morning and no one is around? These racers must have found the most lenient cop in Texas.

Based on the video, it appears the race took place on Beltway 8 in Houston, although it's not clear when it happened. The racers are all wearing sweatshirts and jeans, so it's safe to assume it wasn't in August because August in Houston is hotter than the fires of Hell. It's also hard to tell what agency this officer is from, but the car looks like a Harris County Sheriff's vehicle to me.

At the same time, I'm a little skeptical of the account in this video. We never actually see the cop tell them to just go home after the traffic stop, and it's hard to fathom any officer just letting such insane street racing fly "as long as (they're) not hurting anybody." He totally would have been justified in hauling them in.

What do you think should have happened here?

Hat tip to Carscoops