Officials find way to make impression on street racers

Charles Hoang winced when the whoosh went out of the tires. Daniel Maldonado took pictures with a digital camera as glass exploded and rained down.

The two teenagers didn’t know each other but they shared a common grief as they stood under the sweltering sun Wednesday in Rialto, watching helplessly as the cars they had so meticulously souped up and tricked out were crushed and turned into metal pancakes as part of a crackdown on illegal street racing.

“That’s my heart, my dream,” said a visibly upset Hoang, 18, of Chino, who was surrounded by friends as his 1998 Acura Integra was put into a compactor. “That’s my girlfriend, the love of my life.”

Six vehicles were destroyed at an auto graveyard as officials ramped up enforcement against street racing, which has been responsible for or suspected in 13 deaths in Southern California since March.

Street racing is rampant in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, where rows of tract homes line wide streets suited for the activity.

Nearly 1,000 people – drivers and spectators – have been arrested in connection with street racing over the last two years just in San Bernardino County.

Police need a court order to destroy the cars. They must prove that the serial or identification numbers on a vehicle or its parts are removed, altered or destroyed.

Although police say they have managed to reduce illegal racing and related fatal collisions, they know the underground hobby still thrives.

“We are making a dent,” said Ontario Police Cpl. Jeff Higbee. “But it’s summertime and

Hoang said he was caught late last year racing his prized car, on which he had spent at least $10,000 to get into top shape.

The 350-horsepower engine topped out at 160 mph, Hoang said.

When police popped open the hood, he said, they found a stolen transmission. Hoang flashed a receipt for the transmission he bought from his father, who runs an auto shop and doubted that the item was hot.

“Everything on that car was practically brand new,” he said as he watched his car get moved to auto death row. “They should take out the stuff that matters, auction it off, and give the money to charity.”

Because racers put heavy stress on their vehicles, they often burn out or blow up parts. Higbee said the need for expensive parts has created a “theft mill” in which additional cars – usually Hondas or Acuras – are stolen and stripped of the necessary replacements.

Similarly, Maldonado said he had put plenty of time and effort into working on his 1992 black Honda Civic. He was stopped by police in November in what Higbee described as an area where racers gather.

The 18-year-old mechanic said a vehicle identification sticker apparently fell off and, without it, police suspected that some of the parts were stolen. Maldonado stood several feet away as his car was pounded into a heap of metal.

Maldonado said he has taken the advice of police – to race legally on the many courses in Southern California. For the money spent in fines and other penalties – on average about $5,000 for illegally modified cars – Higbee said street racers could compete about 250 times a year at a legitimate track.

“If you have to race, take it to a legal venue,” he said. “But as long as they keep racing illegally, we keep crushing their cars.”