A street takeover in a Bay Area town that ended with one man shot and his truck set on fire has prompted the mayor to call for increased penalties for the stunt.
Video from the Feb. 25 incident in Vallejo, Calif., provided to local news station KTVU, shows a driver in a white pickup attempting to get through an intersection blocked by a crowd watching cars doing circles, only to crash into another car.
The crowd encircled the truck and began pounding on it, smashing its windows, as the driver fled to a nearby 7-Eleven, where he was allegedly shot, according to the news station.
Vallejo police Sgt. Rashad Hollis told KTVU the incident happened near Springs Road and Rollingwood Drive around 5:30 p.m.
Authorities confirmed a man was attacked, shot, and chased into a nearby convenience store. He was also chased outside of the store—which was also looted by the crowd—and again attacked, according to the news station, which wasn’t confirmed by police.
Vallejo Mayor Robert McConnel told The Epoch Times the City Council has since asked staff to review how to crack down on street takeovers, including increasing the 30-day impound for vehicles involved in such violations to 90 days and increasing fines. He said street takeovers are a statewide concern and the city would need help from other agencies, such as Solano County.
“Due to the size of sideshows, it is always necessary to handle the threats such behavior presents through a joint agencies approach, which Vallejo supports and will continue to encourage,” he said in an emailed statement.
He said the behavior is unacceptable.
“Why does society permit so few impertinent, ‘I can do anything I want’ thinking people to continue to be able to partake in this type of activity? I urge a statewide approach to the problem, not just a localized one,” he said.
During a street takeover in July, a 21-year-old-man was shot and killed in South Los Angeles and a 7-Eleven was robbed by a flash mob, according to media reports.
A new law allows authorities to charge drivers with vehicular manslaughter if someone dies from being hit by their car during a takeover or street racing, and expands previous law to include parking lots and off-street facilities, according to the bill’s text.
Beer, lottery tickets, cigarettes and chips were among some of the items stolen from 7-Eleven by those in the crowd, an employee told KTVU.
The condition of the man who was shot is unknown, as the Vallejo Police Department did not return a request for comment on deadline.
