Illegal Street Takeovers On The Rise — LA County Officials Blame Social Media

LOS ANGELES, CA — Fines would be doubled for street takeovers and sideshows under a plan advanced by the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

"Though street takeovers have occurred in Los Angeles since the 1980s, they have increased dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic and have become increasingly more dangerous; oftentimes resulting in deaths, robberies, high-speed chases, and more," according to a motion approved by the board Tuesday.

Such events — where large crowds gather as motorists conduct stunts on public streets — have increased in recent years due to the use of social media to promote them, county officials said.

The board's motion directed county staff to report back in 90 days with legislation that would increase misdemeanor fines for those participating in street takeovers from $500 to $1,000. The planned legislation would also expand existing law prohibiting such activities to cover parking lots.

The motion also directed county staff to send a letter to major social media platforms asking that they enforce their own rules by removing and demonetizing posts that promote including illegal street takeover events.

"Live streaming these illegal events often causes an influx of participants and can facilitate a localized environment becoming more prone to rapid growth in the illegality, often overwhelming law enforcement efforts to mitigate and disperse the events," the motion reads.

A recent report from the Sheriff's Department showed that in the last three months of 2024, LA County saw an increase of 88 street takeovers.

City News Service contributed to this report.