A chaotic street takeover brought a Baldwin Hills intersection to a standstill early Saturday, snarling traffic and briefly blocking an ambulance as spectators crowded around the scene.
The Los Angeles Police Department told The California Post that officers were aware of the incident and responded at about 2:43 a.m. Saturday. However, no arrests were made as the large crowd scattered.
Video from the scene shows modified cars spinning donuts in the middle of the intersection at La Brea Avenue and Obama Boulevard during the illegal takeover.
A sizable group of onlookers gathered close to the action, with vehicles at times appearing to come dangerously near people standing along the roadway.
According to video stringer RMG News, the takeover began around 2:30 a.m. Footage shows traffic backing up, including a line of Waymo vehicles, as cars moved unpredictably through the intersection. Fireworks were also set off, tire smoke filled the area, and laser pointers cut through the dark.
In some moments, people could be seen hanging from vehicles as drivers performed for the crowd, adding to the already risky scene.
The disruption escalated when an ambulance with its lights and sirens activated attempted to get through the intersection but was blocked by the cars.
The emergency vehicle was delayed briefly before it was finally able to pass through when the activity in the intersection let up.
The takeover resumed as the ambulance was seen leaving, with a black car nearly swinging its rear into a crowd of people.
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It’s unclear how the takeover ended, but police said the crowd dispersed as they arrived.
Street takeovers in Los Angeles aren’t uncommon and often do end in arrests. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said in April that the department had made hundreds of arrests related to the rowdy mobs.
The Los Angeles Police Department responded to almost 700 street takeovers last year, McDonnell said in an appearance on KTLA. Cops made 1,700 traffic stops related to the vehicular mayhem and issued more than 1,700 citations, he said.
In all, police made nearly 300 arrests at takeovers last year, said McDonnell, and the department is “trending in that direction again this year.”
But crushing the takeovers is a challenge, he said, in part because they often draw hundreds of participants.
“Look at the number of people around there,” McDonnell said of the mobs. “There are people around for the blocks around it, as well.”
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