(The Center Square) — High-profile “street takeover” incidents are on the rise again in California as immigration-enforcement-related protests begin to die down, highlighting the state’s enduring challenges with maintaining urban order.
While the state Legislature has passed several new laws to crack down on street takeovers, evidence shows events are still occurring regularly.
In “street takeovers,” drivers block traffic at intersections by performing dangerous stunts, generally surrounded by large crowds whose members are often run over when participating drivers lose control of their vehicles. These incidents often end with cars being lit on fire and nearby businesses ransacked.
Early on Father’s Day morning, the city of Oakland experienced three street takeovers, resulting in one individual critically injured and three cars set on fire, as businesses across the area were vandalized and burglarized.
Videos of one of the street takeovers from KTVU crime reporter Henry Lee show cars drifting in circles as fireworks were set off and members of the crowd directed blindingly-powerful lasers at drivers’ eyes. After one of the participating vehicles stopped, members of the crowd leapt onto the vehicle before unleashing fireworks inside.
On Monday, a South Los Angeles Autozone was ransacked for the third time in the past year as a large crowd connected to a nearby street takeover looted the store. The recent June 2024 and September 2024 lootings at the store were also connected to street takeovers, reported KTLA.
In a video of the incident, one driver is seen drifting in circles as a passenger waves a large Mexican flag, while just a few feet away, members of the crowd of onlookers are looting the Autozone.
After a rash of street takeovers during the pandemic and continuing into recent years, California lawmakers passed several laws last year and in recent years aimed at punishing not just street takeover drivers, but spectators as well.
Assembly Bill 3, passed in 2021, allows for courts to suspend driving privileges for those involved in street takeovers for 90 days to 6 months, and restrict an individual’s operation of a car to employment-related purposes only. This bill takes effect on July 1.
AB 1978 allows officers to seize vehicles engaged in “motor vehicle speed contests” or “exhibitions of speed” on roadways or off-street parking facilities such as parking lots or garages without taking individuals into custody, thereby lowering the threshold for vehicle seizure. AB 2186 allows these seizures to apply to conduct not just on the streets, but in parking areas, for up to 30 days. These bills became law on Jan. 1.
