Nick Ut / AP Posted on 06/20/2007 8:31:15 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy
Nick Ut / AP
Manuel Hernandez reacts after his car
and other impounded vehicles were crushed
at Ecology Auto Parts in Rialto, Calif., on Wednesday.
Southern California authorities crack down on illegal hot rods, street racing
RIALTO, Calif. - Charles Hoang winced when the whoosh went out of the tires. Daniel Maldonado took pictures with a digital camera as glass exploded and rained down to the ground.
The cars the teens had so meticulously souped up and tricked out were crushed Wednesday as part of a crackdown on illegal street racing in Southern California.
"That's my heart, my dream," said Hoang, 18, of Chino, who was surrounded by friends as his 1998 Acura Integra was put into a compactor. "That's my girlfriend, the love of my life. The cops can crush my car, but they can't crush my memories."
Authorities destroyed six vehicles Wednesday at an auto graveyard, hoping would-be racers think again after looking at the mashed machines. Illegal street racing is responsible for or suspected in 13 deaths in Southern California since March.
The thrill-seeking, adrenaline-pumping activity is rampant in Riverside and San Bernardino counties east of Los Angeles where rows of tract homes line wide streets that attract racers.
Nearly 1,000 people — drivers and spectators — have been arrested for investigation of street racing activities over the past two years in San Bernardino County alone. Police need a court order to destroy the cars. They must prove that the serial or identification numbers on a vehicle or its parts are removed, altered or destroyed.
Police said they have managed to reduce illegal racing and related fatal collisions, but know the underground hobby still thrives.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
In my opinion they should go after who commit the most crimes in CA, Gangs and illegal immigrants. This is nothing more than show and tell. The illegal street racing should be done in San Diego where people have to dodge immigrants.
Somone ought to fotosoap “4th Ammendment” on the side of the car in the crusher.
A “court order” does not due process make.
I would much prefer that “boom-box” cars be crushed. Preferably with the owners inside.
I could fill a dozen garages if I had the money with cars like that!
This sickens me, it’s selective enforcement. They crush the Honda without a sticker on the intake, meanwhile the Harley running open pipes or the Mustang with the illegal engine swap doesn’t even get a second look.
What a concept!! Get Pedro out of the low rider and back on the “Shoe-Leather Express”...
I guess you didn't read this part. It says illegal and as far as I am concerned if they are convicted they lost all rights to the ride. If one of your loved ones dies because some kid has total disregard for the safety of others I think you would be singing a different tune.
I had a friend that bought a 1940 Ford Coupe, ex Georgia rum-runners car.
Canadian Mercury block - they were thicker so you could bore them to 4.1" to accept Cadillac pistons...Edlebrock everything else...cam that made it idle worse than a sick Harley.
The entire back behind the two front seats was 1 gal. racks for moonshine. Probably held 35 or 40 gallons. The left hand front and rear wheels had Bendix electric brakes on them for high-speed 180 degree turns (if a black&white was on your tail)!
Only rode in it once...we were pulled over by a NJ Turnpike patrolman who claimed we were a possible stolen car...and later admitted he was just curious because of the exhaust note. When he got a look under the hood and inside...he was suitably impressed...and wished us safely on our way.
Those were days we'll probably not see again....sadly!
It's really sad - the auto parts stores are now filled with that crap. I used to think some of the stuff that was seen in the '70s - era J.C. Whitney catalogs was bad, but most of it was actually in pretty good taste compared to the "accessories" seen now.
The Pixar animated film CARS had a great take on this trend, with the outrageously accessorized "sport compact" cars cast as juvenile delinquents. One mistake in the plot, though... one of the juvenile delinquent cars wasn't a pimped-out riceburner; it was a Hemi 'Cuda Funny Car... as if a Hemi 'Cuda would be hanging out with rice burners. ;-)
The thrill-seeking, adrenaline-pumping activity is rampant in Riverside and San Bernardino counties east of Los Angeles where rows of tract homes line wide streets that attract racers.
Why not put some speed bumps in these zones so that they have no choice but to drive slow.
keep laughing, it will be real funny when the cops seize your car because of emissions, or some ticket bullcrap.
These street racers are routinely making the public streets unsafe for anyone else, and frequently kill people, in addition to causing crashes that destroy the cars of responsible people who were trying to use the roads their taxes paid for. And I’m supposed to feel bad that these kids’ cars are getting confiscated and crushed? Heck it probably saves their own lives in some cases. These vehicles were made for the purpose of criminal activity and have been used by their owners on criminal activity. That’s got nothing whatsoever to do with the government confiscating the homes and business properties of law abiding citizens.
You’re right . Where will it stop ?
Tickets, fines, and points are sufficient for this problem .
An aside , they used to have Emissions testing in my neck of the woods , but only certain counties had to do it. People from other counties who didn’t have testing, drove into testing counties to go to work .
Did nothing for the enviroment , but made the testing counties a lot of money . It also created much hardship for people who couldn’t afford the costly repairs. No pass no drive . Thank goodness for Republicans , who rightfully killed all emissions totalitarianism .
And finally, the only way Pops can stop the debauchery is by ultimately having a chicken-run type showdown in his '61 Mayflower sedan with Duke's vette out on the dark and lonely desert highway. Remember though, Dad .....Call them punks .. Call them animals .. But you better get out of their way! They're soup-ed up for thrills and there's no limit to what they'll do!" ..... so it's not going to be easy. Go, Dad, Go. Do something, even if it's wrong.
I'm reminded of the Vee Dub commercials where they 'unpimp' zee auto.
this state is run by people who hate the internal combustion engine.
you don’t have to smog streetbikes in california yet. only a matter of time. it would cost me thousands to get just one back to stock. assuming i could find the parts.
You're right. I'm mildly shocked at the tone of the posts here. Anyone remember a little concept called free speech, freedom of expression? So these guys choose to express themselves by customizing their cars. Whoa, what a concept! Some of the very same posts that deride these guys, turn around and brag about the very same thing - how they had modified their cars. This is an extremely narrow-minded viewpoint. Basically "what I did was cool, what they're doing is crap" I'm sure a lot of your neighbors back then thought what you were doing to your cars was ridiculous too.
I do agree, some (ok, many) of the mods kids do these days do look pretty idiotic to my eye. Hey, different strokes for different folks. That doesn't mean I wish them ill, or would like to see their cars crushed. Heck, I think mini vans look bad too. So do most of the toy SUVs that never get any further off road than the Burger King parking lot.
Sure, if they're breaking the law, street racing, endangering others fine them, suspend their license, etc. Make it appropriate. Crush? What a stupid concept. If and when it merits confiscating the vehicle... Heck, even the DEA figured out it is better to auction off confiscated property.
And are these guys really that dangerous? Someone that has some experience handling their vehicle at, um, above normal speeds and in adverse driving conditions? Ok, maybe added danger on the learning curve but... I'll take a hand full of street racers any day as compared to the legions of distracted fools doing anything and everything in their vehicles except driving. I have seen people, while moving/driving: reading a book, shaving, applying makeup (fortunately not the same person as was shaving), digging in the glove compartment, digging in the gym bag in the *back* seat, disciplining the kids, arguing (heatedly) with the passenger, eating - with utensils, drinking beer, working on a laptop, changing clothes, reading a map, having a large dog sitting on the driver's lap, etc. etc. These people, and their boneheaded disregard for traffic safety are the real danger.
Go to any modest size or larger city and listen to the radio during morning or evening rush hours. You will hear of a dozen or more accidents. And these are only the ones big enough to make the news 'cause they are tying up traffic. When was the last time you heard of a street racer accident? Hmm, around here, maybe 6 months ago? The liberal, sensationalist media might like to play up street racers. And apparently the CA cops bought into the publicity stunt idea. But the real issue is not what you hear/see in the media. (oh, what a shock) If you really object to this generation of street racers based on safety, you'd be far better off to expend your energy on rush-hour safety. In 27+ years of driving I've gotten run off the road a few times, and had to push my vehicle/skill to the limit countless times to avoid accidents when someone else wasn't paying attention. None of them from someone street racing. In my experience the most dangerous drivers are guys on the way to work late, women with young kids in the car, or anyone driving a U-Haul.
“You’re right . Where will it stop ?
Tickets, fines, and points are sufficient for this problem .”
Are you serious? That’s like saying gun control laws will take guns out of the hands of criminals. These criminals would laugh at your comment that tickets and fines will stop them. “Points? We don’t care about no stinkin’ points!”
Heh — I think this qualifies for a Darwin Award.
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