Lately a hallmark of many street takeover gatherings has been the torching of a car or two. They’re almost always stolen, so it’s a way to dispose of evidence and have a little fun with your criminal buddies at taxpayers’ expense. But at a takeover event in Los Angeles over the weekend a group torched several cars in an escalation we could see coming.
Watch a fleeing Dodge Ram get jacked by Arkansas State Police.
It happened in the Pacoima area in the early morning hours of October 5 near Paxton Street and Foothill Boulevard. Footage taken by KeyNewsNetwork shows three police cruisers driving side-by-side in the road as one officer via loudspeaker orders the crowd to disperse.
That approach is completely different to how other law enforcement agencies have been handling street takeovers lately. With a tough new law in effect in Florida, troopers descended on one event, cutting off all avenues of escape and arresting multiple participants, including spectators.
In the meantime, events in California and other areas where consequences are few and far between are seeing an escalation in takeover violence. Not only are cars torched like in this case, pedestrians have been hit by vehicles and killed, people who interrupt takeovers have been beat and their rides trashed, trucks have been looted, and local businesses have been ransacked, to name just a few things.
We predict that left unchecked, torching cars at street takeovers will become even more common and participants will try to burn more and more like it’s some sort of competition. This is what happens when the illegal gatherings are treated with kid gloves.
According to KTLA, no arrests were made at the illegal street takeover. We question if anyone will be held responsible for the burning cars, other than taxpayers.
Image via KeyNewsNetwork/YouTube
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