Destructive 'street takeovers' are causing chaos and sometimes loss of life across the country, and a former detective explains why he thinks the trend has spread so quickly.
“A road takeover is when a large group descends on the road to race, make money, or do tricks on the road, effectively making it impossible for anyone who wants to use the road.”Security said Lolita Harper, executive director of public affairs. the Benefits Association and former detective told FOX News Digital.
“They're becoming increasingly dangerous in terms of the damage they're causing, the crowds they're attracting, essentially taking over entire communities and intersections, resulting in… property damage, damage to vehicles. It's even causing blazes.'' Fires, windows broken. ”
Over the weekend, hundreds of people took part in street occupations near Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, California. FOX Los Angeles reported. Video from the scene shows a large crowd gathering while the driver of a green car roasts donuts around a fire.
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Police responded to multiple street hijackings and illegal street racing incidents that occurred within hours across Philadelphia. (Adi Kamugisha)
Harper believes social media has been used by these agitators as a tool to facilitate street occupations.
“Thanks to technology, it has become much easier to spread this negative message…and at the same time attract larger crowds, which again makes it more popular and more dangerous. ” she said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed four new bills aimed at helping law enforcement in the state crack down on the disorder, but Harper said the state government has not done enough to stop the disorder. He said no action had been taken.
“I think California has led the way in decriminalizing a lot of things,” she told FOX News Digital. “We've taken the focus away from what they're trying to call non-violent crimes, and there are virtually no penalties for what is classified as non-violent, and the crimes are just getting bigger and bigger. They're in trouble because people know they're not going to do that. ”
Virginia 'street hijack' caught on video leaves police officer injured. 4 Paid
In Cleveland last week, dozens of people called 911 as rioters swarmed the streets with cars and guns in a destructive street occupation. Fox 8 I-Team reports.
“Police, police, please send cops here,” one person asked a dispatcher for help, according to the newspaper.
“If a window is broken or a car is set on fire, thankfully we have things like surveillance cameras that can track us. But again, these are long and extensive investigations.” said Harper.
Harper said there are several factors at these rallies that make it difficult for law enforcement to hold those responsible for the chaos accountable.
“The size of the crowd…it's hard to pinpoint exactly who's doing it. Once it's physically present in the area, people disperse quickly,” she said. “Large crowds mean we need a large-scale enforcement presence that takes resources away from other parts of the city.”
Hundreds of people attended a car rally in Virginia in April and witnessed cars driving recklessly, endangering drivers and bystanders, police said. (Fairfax County Police Department)
At the time, Los Angeles Police Department Interim Chief Dominic Choi said rates of street racing, hijackings, speed contests and reckless driving all increased from April to May 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. . It was pointed out in the June report.
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Drivers take over the streets of Los Angeles. (On Scene.TV)
Street occupations can cause noise pollution, traffic disruption, property damage, physical injury, and even fatal accidents, Choi wrote.
Harper agrees with this finding.
“The potential for loss of life is incredible,” she says. “You're taking away safety. You're taking away the sense of community of being able to walk your kids to school. You can't quantify it in the loss of life, but it's also a tragedy. “You're robbing these communities of their quality of life.” ”
