Busted ... police subdue a suspect. Picture: Bill Hearne
Posted on 02/06/2005 3:57:03 PM PST by yankeedame
Street racer ploughs into crowd
By Josh Massoud and Gemma Jones
February 07, 2005
An angry mob of drag racers turned on police after an illegal street racer careered into a crowd of spectators in Sydney last night.
Up to 30 people lay injured on the road and footpath as punches were thrown and officers shoved. Dozens of police raced to the scene in South Strathfield to help bring the 50-strong crowd under control.
One of the first officers to arrive at the scene radioed for urgent back up, telling the radio operator: "The crowd has turned on us."
Two police officers were injured and two rioters were arrested.
Officers held back the spectators as dozens of injured were being treated. One man, standing between the parked car and another vehicle was crushed.
Bystanders dragged the vehicles apart to free him and he was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
A spectator had his foot badly broken and another had a bone protruding from his arm.
The drama began about midnight after a P-plate driver took off down Madeline St, heading west, in a Datsun 1600 for the first illegal run of the night.
He lost control of his car, slamming into a parked vehicle and sending it spearing into the spectators.
The crowd turned ugly after the media turned up, forcing police to step in and protect them.
A police spokesman said 30 people were injured, several seriously.
The fight began as the crowd turned on media crews, including The Daily Telegraph and a Channel 9 news crew, who had arrived to cover the accident.
The melee continued early this morning outside St George hospital as the injured arrived in ambulances for treatment.
Police have been cracking down on illegal street races, which have claimed two lives in the past six weeks.
A young couple killed in a horror smash in Revesby six weeks ago are believed to have been involved in a high speed race down Milperra Rd.
Robert Peov, 21 and his fiance Joanne Mourani, 20 were killed on December 20 when his green Nissan GT-R Skyline crashed.
Police said witnesses saw a silver car speeding from the scene just after the young couple's car, which was being driven by green p-plate driver Robert, slammed into a power pole and was torn in two.
Mr Peov's brother Chinda was in the back seat and suffered serious injuries.
A week ago, police raided a notorious drag racing strip in an industrial area at Macquarie Fields.
Over Thursday and Friday night the police caught two 19-year-old p-plate drivers speeding as they raced other cars.
Both had their licences suspended and will appear in court for dangerous driving.
What is a P-Plate?
Special license plates given to teen - aged Punks?
I believe it's a probationary license-(probationary-plate)
I'm still trying to determine why the racers turned against the media crews and the police. Shouldn't their first thought been with extricating their friends from the twisted metal, smoldering rubber, and smashed plastic?
~ Blue Jays ~
The manic testorone charged Rev Heads Illegal Racers in Sydney should be punished. There are laws to obey in Australia.
Correct.
Bubba Zanetti: We're here to meet a friend. Comin' on the train.
Station Master: Nothin' comin' on the train except a few crates and a... cuh-coffin!
Bubba Zanetti: Our friend.
Station Master: That must be your friend over there. Not much left of him.
Bubba Zanetti: Must've cut his heart out...Eh?
Station Master: Yeah. Poor bastard!
Toecutter: [whirls on the Station Manager] The Nightrider. That is his name... the Nightrider.
Station Master: [frightened] NightRider.
Toecutter: Remember him when you look at the night sky!
Station Master: I will.
Toecutter: Take your hat off.
Station Master: Anything you say.
Toecutter: Anything I say. What a wonderful philosophy you have.
These kids have been watching too many of that baldheaded guys movies.
I cant blame them for turning against the news reel folks, when you have people hurt and these camera people come to gawk and not help anyone they ned to be turned on , but police are doing their job, part of which is to make way and make it safe for responding ambulance personnel.
Drag racing was pretty much moved off the street until they started making movies racing little Jap cars with superchargers and Nitrous hook-ups. The movies have brought it back.
Thanks for the update! Yeah, doesn't make too much sense, does it...
~ Blue Jays ~
I am the Nightrider! I am a fuel-injected suicide machine!
I am a rocker! I am a roller! I am an out-of-controller! I am the Chosen One! The mighty hand of Vengeance!
Sent down to strike the unroadworthy! I'm hotter than a rolling die!
Step right up chum and watch the kid lay down a rubber road right to freedom!
As several people have pointed out, it's a short hand term used in Australia to refer to inexperienced (generally young, but not always drivers). Broadly speaking, newly licenced drivers have to display a small plate bearing the letter P on their cars for a period of a couple of years after earning their licence. During this period, they are subject to extra restrictions on their driving - most noticeably, they must have a zero blood alcohol level when driving in contrast to the .05 allowed for fully licenced drivers. Police tend to be harsher with these drivers when it comes to traffic offences that are actually dangerous, but a bit more lenient when it comes to non-dangerous mistakes.
It also alerts other drivers to the fact that the person at the wheel of the other car is still inexperienced - and again that works both ways. You treat them with caution, but, as an example, I'm much more likely to let a P-plater back into my lane, if I realise he's got into the wrong lane by mistake.
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