Shocking images of a street race at a Los Angeles residential intersection show cars making donuts and spectators armed with lasers and a blowtorch, in video captured Thursday.
Street races were held at three separate intersections in Los Angeles and Orange County Thursday night. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department broke up both within 25 minutes, although it’s unclear if anyone was arrested.
Thursday’s races follow a spate of protests in a Los Angeles neighborhood, suggesting that filming of the upcoming Fast and Furious movie has boosted ongoing street racing activity.
The video shows several cars cruising around a crowd of onlookers in donuts. A crowd is shown outside while a smaller group stands inside.
Street racers took over three different intersections in Los Angeles and Orange County on Thursday
Skid marks can be seen on the road from where the cars performed donuts
Videos show cars making donuts inches from onlookers – including one firing a blowtorch into the air
The street takeovers took place at the intersections of Shoemaker Avenue and Excelsior Drive, Magnolia Crescent in Buena Park, and Hoover Street and Trask Street in Westminster
There were the familiar sights of burning rubber, lasers and cheering onlookers
Cameras captured video of the takeover at the intersection of Shoemaker Avenue and Excelsior Drive
Cars making donuts pulled up inches from the crowd that had gathered to watch
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy called off the takeover after about 25 minutes
The races follow a torrent of protests in a Los Angeles neighborhood, suggesting that filming of the upcoming Fast and Furious movie has boosted ongoing street racing activity
Intersections that have hosted street racing include Shoemaker Avenue and Excelsior Drive in Sante Fe Springs; Magnolia and Crescent in Buena Park; and Hoover Street and Trask Street in Westminster.
At least six people had died during or near street takeovers in Los Angeles during the first eight months of the year, according to a motion filed by several council members in August.
The county sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Angelino Heights, a neighborhood near downtown LA, is home to Vin Diesel’s character in the Fast and Furious franchise.
Since the release of the first film in 2001, locals have said the neighborhood has inspired copycat street races.
The films depict the underground world of street racing and help popularize practices such as “street takeovers,” where crowds gather — usually at night — to watch cars rev up their engines and race through city streets at high speed scream.
Damian Kevitt, a local resident and founder of Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE), said the Hollywood film series glorified “an illegal activity” and that Angelino Heights has become “a tourist destination for illegal street racing” as a result.
Some people even choose to stand at traffic lights for a better view
Tire smoke quickly filled the air. A passenger was seen holding onto the side of the car
The cars took center stage as those gathered whipped out their phones to capture it
The donuts were performed in the middle of an intersection in the middle of the road
The crowd seemed to spur on the drivers’ antics as they continued to spin their cars
At least six people had died during or near street takeovers in Los Angeles during the first eight months of the year, according to a motion filed by several council members in August
Drivers perform street takeovers, spinouts, and other traffic-blocking activities
Violent speeding and street takeovers have exploded in recent years
Lasers could also be seen, with the green beams aimed directly at the cars
“Friday, Saturday, Sunday night, three, four, five, six cars will come by here, do burnouts, do donuts,” Kevitt said.
“There were no street races in this community before ‘Fast and Furious’ was filmed here,” he added.
Bella, another resident who declined to give her last name, said her children were traumatized by being constantly woken up at night by the noise of cars outside their home and were now too scared to play outside the home.
“You saw the car spin out of control and practically hit the pedestrian that’s right on the corner,” she said.
Local residents and supporters of the group Street Racing Kills have been protesting the increase in street racing takeovers and the latest Fast and Furious movie being filmed
Protesters say the community has been hit by a spate of illegal and dangerous street racing
Street Racing Kills founder Lili Trujillo Puckett speaks alongside residents and supporters of the Street Racing Kills group during a protest against the rise in street racing
Community members hold signs while protesting on film set
Los Angeles has seen a 30 percent increase in deaths and a 21 percent increase in serious injuries from traffic violence over the past year, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Bella has urged Universal Pictures to relocate future filming, while SAFE has asked the city to install speed bumps and have a zero-tolerance policy for street racing.
The group has also asked Universal to add a disclaimer discouraging street racing to the Fast and Furious films.
The first, The Fast and the Furious, was released by Universal Pictures in 2001 and the franchise has gone on to become the highest-grossing film franchise in history, grossing over $6.6 billion worldwide across ten films.
Fast X, the tenth film in the franchise, is slated for release next May.