California Highway Patrol grant to crackdown on street racing and sideshows

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Tackling street takeovers and dangerous sideshows is the goal of a grant awarded to the California Highway Patrol.

"We have been targeting these illegal activities wholeheartedly. In doing so we've written thousands of tickets, impounded thousands of vehicles," said California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Salas.

Salas says the $2 million in federal funding will go towards the STREET program, which stands for Sideshow, Takeover, Racing, Education, and Enforcement Taskforce.

It will also help officers to find people who put on the events.

"A lot of this is through social media, we have a lot of these organizers that are running these illegal sideshows and street racing activity through social media," said Officer Salas.

Action News Legal analyst Tony Capozzi says charges for street racing can include reckless driving which is only a misdemeanor.

"The penalties are pretty much a slap in the wrist until we get tougher on the penalties in this case, speed racing is going to be there," said Capozzi.

He says the legislature has started to add impounding vehicles and suspending licenses as potential punishments.

But street racing, can lead to more crime.

"These things are deadly, they really are. We've seen it statewide that people are losing their lives, people are getting injured," said Officer Salas.

Street racing in Fresno claimed the life of 17-year old Sanger High student Allison Chang and her cousins, 21-year-old Linda Chang and 27-year-old Christopher Vang.

They were killed in December of 2020, when officers say an 18 year old ran a red light while racing and slammed into their truck at Bullard and Palm.

"The cars go out of control and someone's killed. They can then be prosecuted for murder. So these are serious offenses, and I think by being so lenient in the in the beginning, kind of entices them to keep going on what they're doing, and they may end up in a vehicular manslaughter at some point in time," said Capozzi.

The fatalities and injuries are why the California Highway Patrol is determined to pump the brakes on illegal sideshows.

"We're going to be out there to combat it and to make sure that you know, Its a zero tolerance here in Fresno County," said Officer Salas.

It is still unclear exactly how much of the funding will be allocated to the CHP branch in Fresno County.

But Officer Salas says it will also allow additional officers, as well as helicopter support, for when people try to get away from law enforcement in these situations.

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