INDIANAPOLIS — Roaring engines, shrieking tires and plenty of smoke filled a southeast side intersection this weekend.
Police and drivers in the area said a “street takeover” that started Saturday night and went into Sunday morning caused major safety issues along Post Road and U.S. 52. IMPD said it has not responded to many of these types of incidents so far this year, but said they can occasionally start taking place as the weather gets warm.
Those in the area said screeching tires and revving engines could be heard as traffic came to a standstill at the busy intersection.
“I just waited patiently until I could pass safely and get my passengers to where they were going,” said Uber driver James Clayton. “I knew it was frustrating enough, but I knew that escalating wasn’t going to do any good. It was probably going to do more harm than good.”
Clayton’s dash camera caught more than 25 minutes of cars racing and crowds blocking off the street, making it nearly impossible for traffic to pass through the area.
“To see them doing that, to them it’s all about fun, to others it’s dangerous,” Clayton described. “It’s very dangerous for them to be carrying on like that late at night.”
Some neighbors nearby said this is not the first time for this unsafe behavior, which IMPD is trying to stop.
“Anytime these incidents occur, they are dangerous,” said Lt. Shane Foley with IMPD. “They are dangerous to the people involved. They are dangerous to the people not involved. They disrupt the lives of our citizens who use the roadway.”
Foley said police eventually dispersed the crowd and arrested a teen with a gun.
“Juveniles with guns are a bad combination,” he said. “There is nothing positive that is going to come from this juvenile being out early morning hours with a firearm at a situation like this where people are conducting these illegal activities.”
Foley said police have not responded to many of these types of events so far this year, but said there were several last year. He said plenty of resources are often required to shut these activities down.
“Because we see these events often have large numbers of people, we’ve had incidents where people are jumping on police cars, incidents with shots being fired,” he described. “So, in our response, we want to make sure we do it in a way that is safe for our officers and those involved.”
IMPD said drivers should call the police if they ever come across a street takeover. The department also said people should contact police if they learned of any scheduled street takeovers on social media.
