ImmortalEX

Something I picked up off Club Si:

Street drag racing leads to sweep by local police

Team arrests 8, impounds seven cars during operation


By Terry Rodgers
STAFF WRITER

December 16, 2001


Hoping to put the skids to a dangerous pastime, San Diego police yesterday served arrest warrants on young adults suspected of participating in illegal street drag racing.

They were hauled out of bed in the early morning, handcuffed and escorted to patrol cars as their shocked and often embarrassed parents watched and alarmed neighbors peeked from behind drawn curtains.

Welcome to Operation Wake Up Call, the latest attempt by authorities to put a dent in youths' enthusiasm to be as cool behind the wheel as James Dean or Richard Petty.

Moving quickly before 7 a.m., a special operations team involving a dozen officers scattered across the county from National City to Oceanside in search of 20 drag-racing suspects. They netted eight arrests and impounded seven vehicles. The warrants remain active on the others, who could be arrested in future sweeps.

Those targeted by the operation ran the gamut from repeat offenders to first-time arrestees, police said. One of those picked up yesterday is charged with acting as the starter for the dragsters and faces 89 counts of acting as an accomplice for his participation in the races.

For the alleged perpetrators, the cost for bail, court-imposed fines and storage fees to reclaim their vehicles typically totals $5,000 by the time it's all over, police said.

One father clad in only his slippers and underwear was surprised and humiliated when he realized his son's arrest was being captured on videotape for a local television station.

"Jeez, it's like we're Public Enemy No. 1 here," said Richard Perry. "This is crazy. My son has never even gotten a ticket before."

Later, he admitted he has been concerned about the company his son has been keeping.

"I didn't think he'd be doing something stupid like street racing," Perry said.

The beleaguered dad from Clairemont cooperated fully with police. He voluntarily backed his son's souped-up, pearl-white Honda Accord out of the garage so police could tow it away. The car will sit in the storage yard for a minimum of 30 days, accumulating daily impound fees.

Asked how he will explain his arrest to his father, John R. Perry, 23, professed his innocence. "I don't even race, so he won't care," he said.

But the message police wish to deliver is as black and white as their patrol cars: Go drag racing today and you might get dragged away to jail tomorrow.

The crackdown on street drag racing is just beginning and will continue to unfold as police reap the results of ongoing undercover investigations from the newly formed Drag Net Unit, said Assistant Police Chief William A. Maheu.

He declined to describe the methods police may have used -- such as hidden video cameras -- to gather evidence against the alleged drag racers.

"This sends a message that any time there's illegal drag racing out there, (police) are watching," he said.

The renewed emphasis is the result of a $400,000 grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety earmarked for enforcement against illegal drag racing, Maheu said.

Police said those arrested yesterday were offered a free pass to participate in a legal racing program at Qualcomm Stadium called Racelegal.com that is sponsored by San Diego State University.

The popularity of late-night racing is a problem that is increasing locally and nationwide, said San Diego police Sgt. Greg Sloan.

Sloan said San Diego is one of the state's largest hotbeds for hot-rodding, adding that it also is reaching epidemic proportions in San Jose, Riverside and Ontario.

During one two-month period in 1998, eight people in the county died as a result of street-racing crashes, he said. Police could not cite any local deaths or injuries since then.

"We're trying to prevent a catastrophe," Sloan said.

Popular spots for illegal racing include Kearny Villa Road near state Route 163, Via Rancho Parkway outside Escondido and Sorrento Valley Road near Carmel Valley, police said.

The biggest impromptu car rallies have involved up to 1,200 vehicles and a few thousand spectators, who typically cram into a straightaway portion of suburban highway to hold competitions.

"They are basically driving over the feet of spectators out there," Sloan said.

Custom auto-parts shops that cater to street racers have increased from a couple in the 1970s to more than 500 countywide today, he said.

In Linda Vista, overlooking Mission Bay, Officers Steven Bourasa and Robert Hawkins caught up with Jason King, 20, as he returned from work on the night shift at a discount store.

Tears filled the eyes of Jason's aunt as her nephew was led away to a patrol car while his neighbors watched.

Bourasa told her that she would have to find a way to raise $2,500 bail to get her nephew out of jail. As for the car, it will remain impounded for at least a month, he said.

Jason's aunt, who identified herself only as Sandi, said using traditional hard-line, punitive police tactics won't change an illicit pastime that's generations old.

"Dying doesn't send a message to them," she said. "Getting arrested doesn't either. I don't know what will. These kids are in their own little world. It's their families and loved ones that sit home and cry.

"You can't just lock them all up. Street racing has been going on since Ford came out with the Model T."

As she spoke, a TV news crew focused its camera on a bumper sticker on Jason's souped-up Honda. It read, "Street Racing Is Against the Law."

TopFuel

iTrader: (11)

OMG hidden cameras?!? shiiet i've never been to one of those but i guess i wont go at all...my mom would give me the boot and take away my car if anything like that happened....that kid's father seems very calm and cool hahaha

CapYoda

iTrader: (30)

its about time.

unforunately it wont stop anytime soon. the most they can do is lower the rates of it occuring.. but its still everywhere, illegal street racing started ages ago... but I guess the most the cops can do now is to prevent it from spreading even more... sigh.

BabyLX

I think the whole thing is a waste of my money! They only have 8 cited deaths in 1998 and haven't had one since??? Plus the damn media attention, well we all know they don't have their stories straight. Why aren't they out catching the drunk drivers or the drug dealers?? They're not saving anyone by trying to curb street racing, like everyone says it's been around since there were cars and its going to be around forever. This is all a load of crap, IMO, going after a target who doesn't pose a threat and leaving the real threats on the roads and streets. And we all know what this means now for San Diego residents anyone with a modified exhaust, lowered cars, hell even rims is now public enemy #1. The cops aren't only trying to take out the racers at the night races their trying to get cars everywhere at our schools, our jobs and even at our homes. Hell they're even trying to pass a law that makes modified exhausts illegal. God Bless this country and our illusion of Freedom! [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/IMG]

Inspired2k1

They serverd warrents on 20 people and said one race had 1200 people at it. Thats like 1.666 percent of the one race. good luck even getting 1% of all drag racers in the US.

ImmortalEX

I would have to agree with BabyLX, why not go catch some crack heads in Southeast SD or focus on more important issues. Yeah there have been a few drag racing deaths, but how many more deaths were caused by drunk driving or a drive by or drug deals gone bad... I guess it gives the cops up in kearney mesa something to do. Since its alot of industrial & basically nothing goes on up there. Either way drag racing is going to go on and with all the media attention everyone with a modded car is suspect. Sad to say just by that article, it seems they are singling out modded imports. There are alot of dangerous drivers behind the wheel of Mustangs & Camaros as well. Most of the deaths I remember did not happen up @ the illegal drags, they happened on normal streets or freeways & wasnt a group thing. Such as one on Interstate 15, a modded civic lost it & went thru the median & hit another car head on. A single event. a corvette that was racing a truck that hit a car on Mollison ave in El Cajon that killed someone, a single event. A BMW in south bay that flipped & killed one of the occupants, supposed race, but not proven & it was stated that the driver was trying to show off his car & lost it.. All these brought up by the media that give racing a bad name. not to mention Ricki Lake & Maury with their caught on tape & Illegal Drag racing shows... Thanks guys! Ruin something for us while your rich *** sits in a maserati & can speed your little *** off in your own hood & get away with it cuz your famous... There are always going to be drag races. Its been around forever. Since the city of SD has no strip that is centrally located & open on weekend nights, the problem is going to exist. Yeah we could go to the one in Calrsbad, but thats a 90 mile roud trip for me. Plus it costs money to race as well. No thanks.. I admit, there is a problem with some racers that go to far by running others off the road or those that just plain cannot drive, but they are going to race no matter what.

ShinyGreenSuit

Has anyone you know tried that racelegal.com thing?

BabyLX

The folks at SDStreetRacing.com are trying to get people together and organize a petition in order to get us a central track that caters to the needs of street racers, they're going about it the same way the skaters got there skate parks, cause we can all remember back when they were public enemy #1! I encourage anyone from San Diego to check out they're board, its in the Import Section and sub category Street Racing and support this effort.

ModNewbieHELPME

the police cant do too much, catch an extremely small amount of people doing it, and show a presence. Kinda like theifs in a shopping mall. You know that there is a possibility of a cop being right there when you put the femenine products in your pocket, but unless there is a known bust at that store for shoplifting then you wont think too hard about those possibilities.

So their undercover work is just to ward off some people from doing it, there is no stopping it. as long as there are cars there will be street races.

thanks to Fast and furious the media has found something to distort and ruin for enthusiasts. just liek they did skateboarding, even though I never really liked skateboarding.

BabyLX

I was out crusing along on my lunch break today, 3:00 AM, and I wanted to see how this so called drag-net worked on off season days. So I cruise by one cop and he gives me a dirty look and pulls a U turn so I went and parked at the Texaco and he went on his way, then I went to go check out the local racing spots and they have a decoy cop car (Volunteer mobile) sitting there with its parking lights on, I drove by it twice and I didn't see anyone in it, but then again I didn't pull over to get out to look either. Damn all this wasted energy for street racers, I dunno maybe it should make them feel special, I mean look at all the attention there getting! [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]

ImmortalEX

Cops are dumb.. And anyway, those Volunteer ones are old *** geezers.. What are they going to do besides hide & radio for assistance...? Elderly volunteer cops.. I smell another police academy movie coming on!!!!

Becky

i have a friend that got arrested at those street races......really sucked cause they towed his car and we had to try and stuff like 7 people in another car......i have not been back since

BabyLX

Went out again tonight and I can say from what I saw is Drag what? I didn't see any cops busting any street racers when I was out there, mind you I was only out for 30 minutes tonight, plus I still saw the same racers out there that I usually out there. They did kill the number of spectators out there though, Yay! They were the cause of the accidents anyways. Still a lot of people out there though.

2cute

The only races at the "Q" I have seen are done by the SCCA and the others by Solo 2 they aren't drag they are street much better anyhow much more talent required. You do have to pay for them but they are cool.