“There is a tremendous possibility of loss of life,” says retired investigator Lolita Harper.
Unrest and even fatalities have resulted from disruptive “street takeovers” across the nation. A former detective explains why she thinks this trend has taken off so quickly.
Lolita Harper, the executive director of the Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association and a former detective, told Fox News Digital that “street takeovers are when… large groups kind of descend upon a street to either race or earn out or do tricks in the street, effectively making it impossible for anybody who wants to use the street.”
“They’ve become … more and more dangerous in terms of the damage that they’re causing, the crowds that they’re attracting and the essentially taking over of entire communities and or intersections, even resulting in … property damage, cars being lit on fire, windows, smashes.”
Over the weekend, hundreds of people participated in a California street takeover in Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, according to FOX Los Angeles. Large people can be seen assembling in the video as a green car’s driver does donuts near a fire.
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Harper thinks these agitators are using social media as a tool to spread the word of street takeovers.
“Technology has now made it so much easier to spread this negative message … and at the same time, attract a larger crowd, which then again makes it increase in popularity and increase in danger,” she stated.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California recently approved four new measures to support law enforcement agencies around the state in putting an end to the disturbances. However, Harper claimed her state government has not gone far enough in containing the disorder.
She told Fox News Digital, “I think decriminalization of many things has been led by California.” “We have taken such a focus away from what they’re trying to call nonviolent crimes with essentially zero penalties for things that are classified as nonviolent, that they are just growing and growing because people know that they’re … not going to get in trouble.”
Following last week’s chaotic street takeover in Cleveland, when irrational mobs flooded the streets with automobiles and firearms, several individuals dialed 911, according to the Fox 8 I-Team.
A single individual pleaded with dispatchers, “Police. Police,” for assistance. Send some police up here, please,” the outlet said.
According to Harper, there are a few aspects of these events that make it challenging for law enforcement to prosecute individuals who cause the disorder.
The quantity of the throng makes it difficult to identify the specific perpetrator. People leave the location pretty quickly once you are really there, the woman stated. “Large crowds mean you need a large enforcement presence that’s taking away resources from other parts of the city.”
The Los Angeles Police Department’s temporary chief at the time, Dominic Choi, observed in a June report that from April through May of 2024, the percentage of street races, takeovers, speed competitions, and reckless driving had all increased when compared to the same period in 2023.
Street takeovers can result in fatalities in addition to noise pollution, traffic jams, property damage, and bodily harm, according to Choi.
Harper concurs with this conclusion.
“The potential for loss of life is incredible,” she stated. “Safety is being taken away by you. A sense of community and the ability to walk their children to school are being taken away. That’s another tragedy, although one that cannot be measured in terms of lives lost. These communities’ quality of life is being taken away by you.”
