There are only four reasons for law enforcement to impound a car:
1. The vehicle is not registered.
2. The vehicle is not insured.
3. The vehicle is involved in an incident and it can’t be moved by the driver (a serious crash, for example).
4. The driver isn’t physically able to drive it (a medical emergency or arrest).
That’s it. Anyone involved in these street races who doesn’t fit one of these categories should not have his car impounded.
And here on FR, we should always operate under a first assumption that the police are NOT doing the right thing.
If we do not follow the rule of law, we become another thugocracy.
Participating in basically a riot isn’t going 3MPH over the limit, morn.
BLOCKING TRAFFIC IS NOT ALLOWED.
THE IDIOTS WHO BLOCKED THE HIGHWAY TO BURNING MAN IN NEVADA FOUND THAT OUT.
TRIBAL POLICE RAMMED THEIR OBSTACLE & TOOK ALL OF THEM INTO CUSTODY.
TRIBAL POLICE DO NOT SUFFER THE FOOLS
5. The car is stolen.
6. The car was rebuilt with stolen parts.
7. The car has been corroded or degraded to the point it's unsafe. It's not likely the case in this situation, especially since it's in "rust-free" California.
8. It's in California and the cars were modified in ways that affect the CARB smog test.
9. The car has been modified and used to smuggle drugs. (Smuggling illegal aliens is okay).
10. The drivers modified their cars in ways that make them unsafe to drive. The police will use the excuse that the custom turbochargers, brakes, suspensions, rims, and thin sidewall tires all need a once-over by an inspection team before they're released.