Street takeovers truly have become a scourge not only in the car hobby but for society in general. Thankfully, more and more law enforcement agencies are waking up to this fact and doing something about it. One of the latest is Miami-Dade Police Department.
Violent street takeovers rock California cities.
Taking to social media, Miami-Dade Police posted a warning last week that starting today, July 1, it will be enforcing a new state law that brings big fines, felony charges, and vehicle seizures for street takeover participants and observers.
Under the new law, police say street takeover participants will be facing a felony charge and a fine of $2,500 to $4,000 if ten or more vehicles are involved in the event. What’s more, police can seize a person’s vehicle for forfeiture if they’re charged with a felony, with that individual’s driver’s license revoked for two years.
Anyone caught obstructing a police or fire vehicle while it’s responding to an emergency can be charged with a felony. A second or more violation will result in that person having their driver’s license revoked for four years.
As for spectators, they can be slapped with a $400 noncriminal traffic infraction. It’s about time they face consequences since the crowd cheers on the illegal behavior of the drivers.
Cars used during a takeover for a misdemeanor violation can be impounded by police for 30 business days, so over a month, even if the person arrested isn’t the registered owner. We imagine quite a few parents will be upset about little Johnny or Suzy getting their vehicle taken away for weeks.
We sincerely hope this isn’t just an idle threat meant to scare the takeover crowd. They seem to be wise to scare tactics, plus we think many of them grew up with parents who aren’t huge on consequences for actions. They need to learn that lesson or things will continue escalating.
Image via cocainemihcelle/X
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