Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Monday that police and prosecutors were “absolutely laser-focused” on stopping the growing trend of street takeovers in Los Angeles.
The takeovers, often associated with the looting of auto parts stores and other retail businesses that are typically closed when set upon by small mobs, have been a near-weekly occurrence in the city.
“We will not yield the streets to these illegal street takeovers,” said Hochman, standing alongside various law enforcement officials at a news conference Monday at the downtown Hall of Justice.
The takeovers follow a typical pattern: Auto enthusiasts block a stretch of a street, or sometimes even a freeway, while some do “donuts” or spin their tires in a smoky display of power. Several takeovers, like one recently in the 4300 block of South Main Street near Vernon Avenue in South Los Angeles, have ended with a nearby store being looted.
In that case, the culprits left behind a large amount of broken glass along with scattered merchandise in the store’s parking lot.
Hundreds of spectators and participants are usually notified of the events through sometimes encrypted social media. They are told at which intersection to meet up and at what time. Sometimes up to 40 cars participate and hundreds of people gather round to watch the potentially deadly action, Hochman said.
The events are often monetized and live-streamed.
“The promoters are trying to make money, the drivers are trying to improve their street cred,” the district attorney told reporters.
A 24-year-old woman, Elyzza Guajaca, was fatally injured after she was struck by a vehicle doing “donuts” during a street takeover in the Hyde Park community of South LA on Christmas night in 2022. An Orange County man who pleaded no contest in connection with the street takeover that resulted in the crash that killed the nursing student was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison.
Dante Terrel Chapple-Young was doing “donuts” in his 2011 Chevrolet Camaro when he lost control of his vehicle after clipping a tow truck that was parked in the intersection of Florence Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, with the Camaro careening into a group of bystanders on Dec. 25, 2022, Hochman said.
Los Angeles police said the driver abandoned the vehicle and ran away.
Chapple-Young — who has since appeared in a public service announcement warning about the dangers of street takeovers — was arrested about 2 1/2 weeks later in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He waived extradition to Los Angeles County, where he was initially charged with one count each of murder and hit-and-run driving resulting in death.
The public service announcement was played for reporters Monday at the news conference. In the video, Chapple-Young is seen in jail clothing, sitting in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. He said he was “doing my donuts … (and) my car goes into a crowd of people.”
In April 2024, Los Angeles Police Department investigators asked for the public’s help to identify a motorist involved in a South Los Angeles street takeover, as well as a woman who was seen on video being struck and injured by the suspect’s vehicle.
That takeover at the intersection of Manchester Avenue and San Pedro Street was watched by a crowd of hundreds of people. Video released by the LAPD showed a red Infiniti G37 striking a group of people, including a woman who was left bleeding from the head and unconscious. Bystanders later picked her up and carried her off.
In 2022, the LAPD was forced to shut down the Sixth Street Viaduct, a 3,500-foot bridge between Boyle Heights and downtown Los Angeles, two weeks after it opened because it was such a popular spot for takeovers reminiscent of the “Fast and Furious” movies.
In addition to driving stunts, other takeovers have involved street racing and have led to violence, including gunfire.
“The drivers are engaged in a wide variety of criminal conduct,” Hochman said, adding that those convicted of injuring or killing others could face multiple years behind bars, while promoters and spectators may also face jail time and high money fines if convicted.
According to the LAPD, three young people have lost their lives in street racing activities since the start of the year.
Officials said individuals arrested for participating in street takeovers could face misdemeanor charges, including reckless driving (up to 90 days in county jail and/or a $1,000 fine), speed exhibition (up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine) or being a spectator at illegal takeovers (up to 180 days in jail and/or a $500 fine).
Participants who injure or kill someone may face felony charges.
Besides partnering with law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney’s Office has joined with other county departments to develop and implement a street takeover reduction action plan. The plan’s goals include increasing youth education, expanding enforcement operations and installing deterrents at several intersections known to be takeover locations.
You read this shit and you tell me what the fuck is wrong with it God damn statement on this fucking bullshit with Nathan hodgman!!!!
You say that Diddy has an accomplice!
Anyone would want to understand with that many bottles of baby oil with DMT in it is an accomplice.! Then you have to understand what the DMT and all the hypnosis that was being played on the music box inside of his house for all the FBI agents to come in there with no rubber gloves on pick up all the rubber dildos and play with them for hours on hours with DMT all over the dildos and baby oil take them back to the lab and everything and try to figure out what they’re going to do and the brainwashing from the hypnosis that they were listening to inside the house told him to go out there and get Nathan Hochman ( LA’s district DA ! ) and everybody else in Los Angeles that was involved in the George Garson trial so that he could become the representation for India. But how the judge lost your head from Nathan Hochman chopping it off out there but yet nobody’s going to pay attention to the TV ads about how elect Nathan Hochman for deputy da right for Los Angeles County huh where you going to find his body man when you going to bring it up there. And then you got a nude oversized fat Donald Trump sitting out there in the old tall with nothing on how that’s planning obvious that they already shot him down there at Del Mar in largo, Florida. Now all they do is put a coffin around this fat ass and this is what happens to politics that fuck over the company. But how Puff Daddy’s biggest fucking problem is and this is the only problem his hatred for another man to get to something before his tired ass drug dealing junky ass had to get to it he’s also the one that Shoved the crack pipe down her throat and caused her death but how you’re going to stand up for the crack dealer right and you wonder why all the celebrities are dead because you had the crack dealer running house to house to get all the secrets right because he had to sell his dope man but any Gangster would never let nobody see it on TV man you got to keep that shit secret you can’t spread this shit around man every brother knew it was a dope being junkie man selling his dope but y’all bought his shit and he slaughtered every one of your children! How didn’t Cher and Lady Gaga live in the same building with Justin Bieber and everybody else where has everybody went to that used to live in that building and why have they been missing for 10 years now. Because with a bottle of DMT, Some hypnosis music, you’ll be brainwashed to do absolutely fucking nothing for the rest of your life.
That used to be the dope dealers of the Montrose and the West Gray & Taft Street area drug dealers that used to sit on the street corner and sell crack cocaine everyday and then you wonder why they’re got the 800 low income housing right there. I know that Sean Diddy Combs was involved in it! Curtis Jackson as well. I know from the Driving Over His Ass” Broke both Legs Two places” at West Gray @ Taft Street. 1995 – 2025
Because Whitney Houston and I We’re together long before Sean Diddy Combs. And that’s the reason Kevin Costner lost both his hands. Before he blew his fucking head off. Kevin Costner’s house was in Louisiana.
But how he’s going to come around and piss in everybody’s Wheaties in the morning man if you can find the dead bastard
Yep, they need to start arresting the little shits on the doing the bicycle and mini bike takeovers too. If they start doing the time for the crime they might start rethinking their choice of a hobby. Try doing their part the city better, not worse instead. As it stands they are nothing but a bunch of vandals that have cost the citizens of Los Angeles hundreds of millions of dollars. Lock em up!!
Yep, they need to start arresting the little shits doing the bicycle and mini bike takeovers too. If they start doing the time for the crime they might start rethinking their choice of a hobby. Try doing their part to make the city better, not worse. As it stands they are nothing but a bunch of vandals that have cost the citizens of Los Angeles hundreds of millions of dollars. Lock em up!!