For a second consecutive weekend in Chicago, stunt drivers and spectators engaging in street racing disturbed residents, attacked cops and damaged police vehicles, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. During the unsanctioned events, the police department said some officers “were assaulted with bricks and bottles.” At one event on the Lower West Side, six police cars were also damaged. However, no officers were injured, and no arrests were made. Online, posted videos show a group of people throwing objects at a police SUV, which can be seen driving toward the crowd.
Spread across the city, the meets take place in industrial parks, empty mall parking lots and local downtown areas. The meetup in the West Loop started with onlookers clashing with police late Friday on the Far South Side. Advertised as a “wild” event pitting “Chicago vs. Everybody,” drivers made an appearance from Detroit, the Bay Area and other parts of the country. Early Saturday, at a different takeover, two 18-year-old men were arrested. One was charged with a misdemeanor count of reckless conduct, while the other had his car impounded, which is a first under a new city ordinance aimed at controlling the street takeovers. An event scheduled for Sunday night was canceled because of "major police activity." Alderman Raymond Lopez complained that his colleagues in City Council have “acted very timidly” in addressing the illegal events. Lopez criticized the new ordinance requiring police to mail the owner "a notice of intent to impound,” along with a statement of probable cause and a police report. He said the new ordinance does not address the immediacy of drag racing or take quick enough action. Lopez advocated using salt trucks and snow plows to “corral and pin” the stunt drivers, allowing arrests to be made and vehicles to be impounded onsite. “The moment we show there’s consequences, this nonsense will come to an end,” he said. “Until then, expect it to continue.”