'Hot Rods To Hell:' Illegal Street Takeover Causes Mayhem In Hometown

HOMETOWN, IL — An illegal street takeover early Sunday morning caused bedlam in Hometown as dozens of cars took over the Mercy Mosque parking lot and blocked streets in the quiet residential neighborhood.

Street takeovers have been an issue in Chicago and are starting to spread to the suburbs, where dozens of vehicles converge at an intersection or in a parking lot. The highly planned, tightly controlled takeovers last just a few minutes, but they intimidate and cause anxiety among the public, who feel powerless to control it.

“They’ve hit all the suburbs — Oak Lawn, Burbank,” said Chief Lou Dominguez, of the Hometown Police Department. "They don’t stop for anybody and place our officers in danger.”

Cars and trucks swarmed the mosque parking lot at Kostner Avenue and Beck Place shortly after midnight Sunday. Dominguez told Patch that Sunday’s incident did not involve anyone affiliated with Mercy Mosque, which recently opened in the former Our Lady of Loretto Church. Oak Lawn and Evergreen Park police assisted in dispersing the cars.

“It happened real fast,” Dominguez said. “Nobody was hurt. The cars caught on video driving recklessly did not have plates.”

While it was initially thought that 70 vehicles swarmed the parking lot, Dominguez said the number of vehicles was downgraded to 50 vehicles, but 20 spectators parked in the middle of the street and got out to jump on trucks or watch vehicles “drifting” and doing doughnuts in the parking lot.

“They only stay for a few minutes,” Dominguez said. “They do their antics, and we chase them out."

Despite many of the vehicles covering up or removing their plates, Hometown police have still been able to gather some information.

“There were so many cars at the same time,” the police chief added. “We were able to get some plate info from squad [car] radio.”

Although some vehicles with Chicago registration, Dominguez said the highly coordinated group appear to come from a wide area.

“Cicero, Brookfield, and the far north suburbs. They are spread all over the area.”

The car mobs are organizing and coordinating their next moves on social media, usually via private Facebook pages or other social media platforms.

“Chicago police try to get invited to join them,” the police chief said. “Once an outside ‘infiltrator’ is discovered, the page is shut down.”

Dominguez said that Hometown will be looking at creating or updated current traffic ordinances. State statutes also need to be examined, so that illegal takeovers can be more effectively prosecuted.

As recently as last Thursday, Dominguez said Chicago police have been meeting with suburban police departments to discuss proactive measures to stop hooligans from taking over streets and parking lots in Chicago neighborhoods and suburban communities.

“We just had a meeting with 8th District Chicago police to discuss it and then three days later it hits Hometown,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dominguez is advising residents everywhere to keep their home security cameras activated. While no damage was reported Sunday, except for a skidmark-covered parking lot, if any resident discovers damage due to this event, or has video footage, should contact Hometown police by calling 911 or 224-580-2856.

~ Video courtesy of Aaron Lycan