MALIBU—The California Highway Patrol shut down a group of street racers driving recklessly and gathering for an intersection takeover early on the 4th of July, as announced in a July 6 Facebook post.
According to the post, in the early hours on July 4, CHP West Valley was notified by residents on Mulholland Highway and Las Virgenes Road that a large group of vehicles were gathering and preparing for an intersection take over, driving recklessly and doing donuts. Multiple CHP units reported to the scene and coordinated an effort to stop the group.
Once the CHP arrived on the scene, a large number of individuals began running back to their cars in an attempt to flee. Multiple vehicles sped off at high speeds and ran red lights to escape authorities. Officers told CHP dispatch the vehicle descriptions and their direction of travel. Soon after and several miles away, a group of the fleeing vehicles were caught by another responding CHP vehicle.
Out of the 20 vehicles CHP encountered at the scene, at least 10 were stopped. Fifteen individuals received tickets for misdemeanor speed contest and spectating a speed contest. Three vehicles were impounded by CHP and one driver was arrested for punching a CHP officer and resisting arrest.
The punishment for a misdemeanor speed contest and spectating a speed contest is a fine between $355 and $1000 and between 1 and 90 days in jail. The court could also suspend the defendant’s driver’s license for up to six months for engaging in a speed contest.
Mulholland Highway has faced issues with street racing, with neighbors complaining about noise frequently. Calabasas Mayor Alicia Weintraub told Patch News that the city is working with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lost Hills/Malibu Station to increase police patrolling of Mulholland Highway at nighttime to decrease racing activity.
