Street-racing revelers had nowhere to run when a massive LAPD crackdown descended on a South Los Angeles street takeover early Saturday — with wild drone footage showing hundreds of people scrambling for an escape as cops boxed them in.
More than 700 people were allegedly packed into the illegal gathering near South Figueroa Street and West Alondra Boulevard around 2 a.m.
But this time, the police were ready.
The LAPD told the California Post that officers issued a tactical alert at 3:21 a.m. as more than 150 officers swarmed the area. Authorities said that in total 69 people have been arrested, 570 citations were issued, 200 vehicles were impounded and seven firearms were recovered.
Aerial footage showed the chaotic scene from above as officers surrounded the intersection, leaving people running between cars in search of a way out.
Tow trucks were also waiting nearby to haul away vehicles caught up in the massive bust.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said the operation, dubbed “Operation Street Sweeper,” was months in the making, per ABC7.
Investigators used intelligence gathering and drone technology to anticipate the locations of four separate street takeovers, allowing officers to move in before participants could simply scatter and disappear.
“This is not harmless fun. This is criminal behavior,” McDonnell said during a press conference announcing the arrests. “Your children are participating in an active crime scene where they are lawfully subject to immediate arrest and exposed to harm.”
A resident who lives just steps from the intersection, Maple Patton, told the outlet the chaos sounded like an explosion.
“I’m thinking, ‘Did a bomb go off?!’” Patton said. “Every weekend, they’re taking over, and I’m thinking, ‘We gotta do something to stop this.’”
The operation also involved Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers.
At least one impounded vehicle caught fire during the operation, McDonnell said.
Street takeovers have become an ongoing scourge across Los Angeles County, with authorities warning that the gatherings can fuel dangerous driving, violence and other crimes. Some recent events have also been linked to robberies at nearby businesses.
The Sheriff’s Department has pledged to target not only spectators but organizers and participants through arrests, citations, vehicle impounds and criminal prosecution.
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