Police and elected officials across Orange County are grappling with tackling street takeovers or sideshows – illegal driving exhibitions that draw large crowds to watch drivers, often in modified cars, do burnouts, drift and race in parking lots and public streets.
Although local officials in Anaheim and Irvine have noted a recent drop in street takeovers, they’re still wrestling with the sideshows and are cracking down on them through a mix of targeting illegally modified cars, air surveillance and monitoring social media.
It’s part of a nationwide issue that has led city council members in cities like Buena Park and Anaheim to crack down on these types of exhibitions in recent years – even passing laws making it illegal to watch street takeovers…