Los Angeles County officials announced on Friday that the incidents of street takeovers in the county significantly increased in 2024, with a 64% growth in the second district between October and December.
Street takeovers generally refer to a group of car or motorcycle riders engaging in illegal gatherings, drag racing, or stunt performances on public roads. Participants block roads, engage in high-speed driving, and other dangerous behaviors, which can lead to accidents, property damage, and injuries. Therefore, local governments usually monitor and enforce laws against such activities.
According to the city news agency, the latest report from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office indicated that there were 88 street takeover incidents in the county in the last three months of the previous year.
The report showed that from July to September, there were 13 incidents in the first district, 191 in the second district, and 76 in the fourth district. From October to December, the first district had 4 incidents, the fourth district had 67, and the second district saw an increase of 106, reaching 297 incidents.
To address this issue, the county government collaborated with law enforcement agencies, collected public feedback, and implemented the “Reduce Street Takeover Action Plan” at the end of last year. The plan garnered support from various community organizations, including Streets Are For Everyone, Street Racing Kills, Project Street Legal, and Brotherhood of Street Racers.
Key focus areas of the plan include educating youth, preventing street racing, expanding outreach to schools and communities, improving infrastructure and technology by extending centerlines at high-risk intersections, installing barriers, and rubber isolation zones, strengthening enforcement by enhancing coordination among law enforcement agencies, increasing penalties for event organizers and spectators, issuing citations, and more.
Other key areas include enhancing community involvement through collaboration with local organizations, raising public awareness of street takeover activities, and designating specific venues for legal street racing events.
Damian Kevitt, Executive Director of Streets Are For Everyone, stated in a release that street takeover events have reached a “crisis level” throughout the county and emphasized that enforcement alone cannot solve this problem.
Kevitt praised the action plan, stating that it is the first time he has seen such extensive collaboration between community organizations and government agencies to collectively address this issue.
The county government has expanded the regional task force to address street takeover incidents and drafted proposed regulations to increase fines, widen the scope of penalties, and target spectators and organizers.