23 Arrested, 14 Vehicles Seized In L.A. County Street-Race Crackdown

LOS ANGELES, CA — Twenty-three arrests were made and 14 vehicles were impounded following a collaborative street-racing crackdown Friday throughout Los Angeles County, according to police.

Street racing surged during the pandemic, and now authorities are fighting back against the sideshows and intersection takeovers, a Los Angeles Times report said.

Some officials blamed online communication for popularizing the trend, that jumped 27% as of July 2021 in Los Angeles.

"Social media has fueled street-racing takeovers," the Los Angeles Police Department said. "Street racing and intersection takeovers are illegal, pose a danger to participants, spectators and the community at large."

"This activity is not tolerated," the department added, noting such enforcement operations will continue.

Participating area law enforcement agencies on May 13 included the LAPD Street Racing Taskforce, the Los Angeles County Taskforce for Regional Auto-Theft Prevention and Long Beach and Alhambra police departments. Police said cities targeted throughout the county included Compton, Long Beach, Cerritos, Whittier and Paramount.

During the May 13 crackdown, nearly 30 enforcement stops were conducted, which included emissions compliance inspections that identified various California Vehicle Code violations, police said.

In November, police departments from Culver City, Gardena, Hawthorne and Torrance held a similar operation, citing 40 and seizing 10 vehicles.

Anyone with info related to intersection takeovers can call LAPD's Central Traffic Division Street Racing Taskforce Sgt. II Jesse Garcia at 213-486-0736 or via email at 33022@lapd.online.

During non-business hours or weekends, calls go to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Tipsters also can access LAPDOnline.org, click on “web tips” and follow the prompts, authorities said.

Those wishing to remain anonymous also can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, or by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads). Texts should begin with the letters “LAPD.”

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