Euless police investigate ‘street takeover’ of dozens of people to watch reckless driving

Multiple people may face charges for participating in a “street takeover” in Euless on Monday morning.

Euless police say “numerous vehicles” and spectators blocked the intersection of Midway and North Main Street while they participated “in reckless driving/stunting” around 2 a.m. Monday.

According to KXAS-TV, responding officers seized a 17-year-old’s cellphone that had video of the drivers burning rubber, doing donuts and spinning out of control.

“You can see the dangerous side of that and the potential for what could happen,” Sgt. Scott Peterson told the NBC station. “Innocent people who could be injured or killed is something we can’t stand for at all.”

KXAS also reported that once officers arrived at the scene, someone shot bottle rockets. One police officer was reportedly hit in the head.

The police department said it’s working on obtaining arrest warrants for people involved in the incident using the video it obtained. Peterson also told the Star-Telegram that the people involved can face charges of reckless driving and obstruction of a roadway.

“[We’re] proactively enforcing laws to eliminate this dangerous behavior,” a news release from the police department said, adding that anyone with information should contact Detective Lapenna at 817-240-5313 or clapenna@eulesstx.gov.

Euless PD is investigating a street takeover that occurred at Midway & N Main Street at around 0200 hrs on Monday morning. Euless Detectives are obtaining arrest warrants for those involved. If you have info, please contact Det. Lapenna at 817-240-5313 / clapenna@eulesstx.gov. pic.twitter.com/HxrWXvtPgt

— Euless Police (@EulessPolice) June 15, 2022

Street-racing and “takeovers” are a familiar problem in North Texas.

The Texas Transportation Code outlaws street racing, and spectators in Fort Worth can now be fined up to $500 after the City Council passed an ordinance in April 2021. The change came after a couple and the racing driver who hit them died in an accident in November 2020.

In Arlington, a man was killed and his passenger injured in January when his car was hit by a car racing another at 80 mph in a 45 mph zone, and over in Dallas, police have formed a street racing task force to address the issue.

This story was originally published June 17, 2022 10:44 AM.