More Than 60 Arrested in Street Racing Sweep

Law enforcement officials cracking down on illegal street racing in the San Fernando Valley arrested more than 60 people early Saturday and cited more than 90 onlookers. Six drivers were arrested on suspicion of engaging in speed contests, 57 juveniles were arrested for curfew violations and 98 people were cited on suspicion of being illegal-race spectators at a longtime “cruising” and street racing strip in Sun Valley just south of Hansen Dam, said Los Angeles police Officer Eduardo Funes.

Glenoaks Boulevard between Sheldon and Peoria streets has been an illicit speed contest area and a sore spot with nearby residents for years, officials said.

The crackdown was conducted by an on-scene task force of more than 60 officers and representatives of the Los Angeles Police Department, California Highway Patrol, city attorney’s office, California Bureau of Automotive Repair and other agencies. The sweep began shortly before midnight Friday and ended several hours later, Funes said.

Officers wrote 27 smog equipment tickets and at least 90 miscellaneous citations.

They impounded 92 vehicles for illegal parking or because their owners did not have licenses, authorities said.

The arrests and citations all involved misdemeanors or infractions, police said, and are usually punishable by fines. The operation was “extraordinarily effective,” said Matt Szabo, aide to City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, whose district includes the illegal drag strip. “There are so many kids doing this so often that one or two or three officers will never catch them.”

He said Greuel is expected to introduce a motion at Tuesday’s council meeting to help police enforce laws against street racing.

It will ask the city street department to alter Glenoaks with speed bumps, signs or other means to discourage speeding, and may request the drafting of an ordinance or state legislation to impose tough new penalties, Szabo said.

Cruising and street racing on Glenoaks has become a hobby among some San Fernando Valley youths and young adults, he said.

“This is a spectator sport. They spend a lot of time working on their cars,” said Szabo. “There’s money involved. It’s been something that’s been going on there for years.”