Protests Die Down In CA While Violent ‘Street Takeovers’ Return

High-profile “street takeover” incidents are on the rise again in California as immigration-enforcement-related protests begin to die down, highlighting the state’s enduring challenges with maintaining urban order.

While the state Legislature has passed several new laws to crack down on street takeovers, evidence shows events are still occurring regularly.

In “street takeovers,” drivers block traffic at intersections by performing dangerous stunts, generally surrounded by large crowds whose members are often run over when participating drivers lose control of their vehicles. These incidents often end with cars being lit on fire and nearby businesses ransacked.

Early on Father’s Day morning, the city of Oakland experienced three street takeovers, resulting in one individual critically injured and three cars set on fire, as businesses across the area were vandalized and burglarized.

Videos of one of the street takeovers from KTVU crime reporter Henry Lee show cars drifting in circles as fireworks were set off and members of the crowd directed blindingly-powerful lasers at drivers’ eyes. After one of the participating vehicles stopped, members of the crowd leapt onto the vehicle before unleashing fireworks inside.

On Monday, a South Los Angeles Autozone was ransacked for the third time in the past year as a large crowd connected to a nearby street takeover looted the store. The recent June 2024 and September 2024 lootings at the store were also connected to street takeovers, reported KTLA.