Inside The Underground World Of Street Racing

Illegal street racing activities on Ana Street in Compton in 2015. Racers race in many illegal street racing locations.

Inside The Underground World Of Street Racing

Underground street racing has long been an outlawed part of Los Angeles’ car culture, with boulevards converted to wide-open tarmac, ready for slick tires, supercharged engine blocks and tuners.

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In the first months of the pandemic, when stay-at-home orders made L.A.’s empty streets even more inviting for large gatherings known as sideshows or takeovers, officials noticed an uptick.

Fueled by social media, illegal street racing activity — and its attendant dangers — continued to grow even as pandemic restrictions eased and LA travel patterns returned.

Los Angeles officials are now considering new measures to crack down on street racing, joining a growing number of cities that are taking the fight from the streets to social media to target those who organize and promote the races.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, as of July, the number of races and street possessions across Los Angeles is up 27% in 2021. LAPD investigators say at least three deaths can be attributed to inherently dangerous crowds.

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As the activity continues to increase, cities across the state and country are looking for new tools to crack down on illegal races and sideshows.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, where street racing activities have also exploded, the San Jose City Council passed an ordinance in late June that makes it a misdemeanor to encourage, incite or promote such events online. The move is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Offenders face fines of up to $1,000, six months in jail, or both if convicted.

Two LA leaders, Councilman John Lee and Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, hope to replicate the move in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, the city took initial steps in that direction when it approved more research on the matter.

The motion approved Tuesday would direct the city attorney to report on the possibility of enacting a law similar to San Jose’s that would “make it unlawful to knowingly encourage, encourage, incite, aid, facilitate, assist, or gather persons as spectators at a street race or reckless driving exhibition.” Such legislation, if passed, would allow the city to sue those who promote underground races on social media.

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“An ordinance like the one enacted in San Jose would be a deterrent to spectators attending street racing and street takeover events. Without spectators, the events lose their appeal,” Rodriguez said. This is the tool.”

After the city attorney’s report is completed, the council will review the matter and decide whether to move forward.

According to law enforcement officials and members of the racing community, Instagram accounts, YouTube channels and other forms of social media have served as a kind of modern bullhorn for Los Angeles’ street-racing community in recent years. A large following on social media means a race organizer can attract large crowds to an illegal sideshow or underground race. Instagram Stories, which disappear after 24 hours, have become a marketing tool of choice for many.

Platforms have made celebrities out of cars and drivers, expanding Los Angeles’ reputation as a source for car clubs. Sideshows have become more dangerous because followers and likes are now just as important as crossing the finish line first.

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Two at a time, the vehicles blasted down a Compton road scarred by skid marks from past races.

Cities and states are increasing penalties for illegal street racing amid a nationwide surge in illegal racing and several deaths. This month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that would allow courts to temporarily suspend the driver’s licenses of people accused of engaging in or inciting street racing on highways. The Act comes into effect in 2025.

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law that mandates a minimum 10-day jail sentence for drag-racing convictions, and New York lawmakers are considering measures to use speed cameras in hot spots at night and on weekends to catch street racers. .

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In September, the council voted to direct the Department of Transportation and Bureau of Street Services to coordinate with the LAPD Street Racing Task Force on a menu of traffic-calming measures, such as speed humps or rumble strips. Used where illegal betting occurs frequently. Work is in progress and reports are forthcoming.

LAPD Cmdr. Al Pasos, who oversees all transportation bureaus, said the city and department are exploring several measures to reduce the dangers posed by street racing.

He said “interference devices” such as temporary speed bumps and pop traffic circles at places favored by racers could play a role in curbing drivers’ ability to speed. Bassos said he knows the city is considering whether to adopt an approach similar to San Jose’s.

“It’s going to be hard to prove,” he said. An important question, Bassos said, is whether a felony, such as a ticket, will be handled by the traffic court or by the city attorney’s office.

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UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh said the constitutionality of the law criminalizing online advertising of illegal betting events depends on the specificity of the text in question.

For example, illegal street racing is great, and if someone posts an Instagram post saying everyone should be doing it against the law, that’s constitutionally protected speech, he said. But Volok said if the post encourages people to attend rather than promote a particular event, that speech is constitutionally permissible to be punished by the government.

“If they draw it very narrowly, if they’re not very forceful in trying to limit it as much as possible, then I see it being perfectly constitutional in that regard,” Volok said.

A Times investigation found 179 people died in speedway races in Los Angeles County from 2000 to 2017, and investigators say street racing has been on the rise in recent years.

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Head-to-head track races, commonly associated with street racing in pop culture, occur frequently in the Valley, according to investigators. They say the random nature of those matches is especially dangerous for pedestrians. Some hot spots are synonymous with racing, like the stretches of Foothill Boulevard from the 210 Freeway in Lake View Terrace.

LAPD Capt. Andrew Neiman, who oversees the Valley Traffic Division, said officers must define the danger when tracking street racers or arresting them. “We followed a group and they got on the freeway and immediately started going 100 mph. At that point we had to assess them as a tail risk. It’s difficult even with a helicopter,” he said.

Because a few police cruisers are no match for the crowd of drivers leaving the 300-strong sideshow, police often struggle to catch drivers and spectators at large takeover scenes.

Veterans of the Street Racing Task Force say that street racers are also becoming more knowledgeable. While taking away a driver’s car for 30 days was once the ultimate sanction — departments often post videos or photos on social media of supercars and imported pocket rockets being towed — some have found ways around it.

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They register the vehicle to a friend, then say they didn’t authorize such behavior when they lent their car to their friend, so they take it back.

In August, three people in a Volkswagen were killed when they turned left into the path of two racing cars near Andover Drive and Glenoaks Boulevard in Burbank. Jayden Kishon Johnson, 20, of Burbank; Natalie Asal Moghattam, 19, of Calabasas; and Serene Baker, 21, who died in the Aug. 3 crash.

The driver of the gray Kia involved in the crash has been charged with three counts of manslaughter and one count of reckless driving, police said. Hamlet Arseniy Agajanyan, 19, of Burbank, has pleaded not guilty. The 17-year-old driver of the Mercedes-Benz was also arrested and placed in juvenile detention.

Richard Winton is an investigative crime writer for the Los Angeles Times and part of the team that won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Known as @lacrimes on Twitter, he has been part of The Times for almost 30 years. News Staff won Pulitzers in 1998, 2004 and 2016.

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Julia Vick is a political reporter at the Los Angeles Times. He and his colleagues won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for breaking the news about a leaked audio recording that upended Los Angeles politics. She was also in the team