CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A local car enthusiast is bringing car lovers together in Chesapeake for "Cars and Coffee," an event aiming to highlight the positive side of car culture following a recent shooting at Kemps River Crossing.
Virginia Beach car enthusiast Matthew Defreitas has hosted Cars and Coffee for four years. The latest event comes on the heels of what Virginia Beach police say was a car meetup in Kemps River Crossing that ended with seven people getting shot.
"I honestly wanted to develop a positive impact to the community, and have people come out," Defreitas said.
In our previous coverage, Defreitas described the Kemps River Crossing shooting more as a "takeover."
"We respect one another, and obviously that goes both ways too, but at the same time we’re not going to stand for the violence and the chaos that happened two weeks ago," Defreitas said.
Only a few cars turned out, but there were some pretty cool ones, including a '68 Camaro and a '23 Scat Pack. While it may look different from some of the larger gatherings Defreitas has hosted, the goal here is simple: keep it safe and respectful.
"Doesn’t have to be the biggest event, and ultimately it’s not to be popular or anything it's to make a positive impact on the car community," Defreitas said.
