Seven vehicles were impounded last week after illegal street takeovers blocked off and damaged four intersections in San Diego County, officials said.
Street takeovers, also known as sideshows, generally involve spectators blocking intersections to create space for drivers to do potentially dangerous maneuvers, such as “donuts” and “burnouts.”
Investigators said more than 100 people total blocked intersections in the San Diego neighborhoods of Barrio Logan and Swan Canyon, as well as in National City and Chula Vista, on Dec. 9, San Diego police Lt. D. Hall said in a news release Friday.
It will cost approximately $15,000 to $24,000 to clean, re-slurry and repaint each intersection, Hall said.
In the weeks that followed, police officers from San Diego, El Cajon and National City worked alongside investigators from the California Highway Patrol to identify 20 vehicles and multiple people involved in the incidents, Hall said.
Officers said they seized seven vehicles on Thursday, and court orders have been obtained to impound more, Hall said. Investigations are currently underway that could lead to potential prosecution against the drivers.
“The San Diego Police Department does not condone these illegal, inherently dangerous stunts on our shared roadways,” Hall said. “Those committed to continuing their involvement in these criminal acts will face arrest and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.”
Law enforcement in recent years has been cracking down on street takeovers in San Diego County. Last year, police arrested 11 people and issued 51 citations after sideshows took over seven intersections in San Diego and Spring Valley over Labor Day weekend.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1472 in September 2022 which allows prosecutors to charge drivers involved in a fatal sideshows or street races with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
