Machete-wielding man confronts street takeover gang creating a ruckus outside his home in Anaheim
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA: A man who was furious with a street-racing gang on Wednesday, August 24, reportedly took matters into his hands and ran outside his home just in basketball shorts while holding what appeared like a machete. ABC7 has the video of the incident which showed the unidentified man storming towards the intersection of Haster Street and Orangewood Avenue in Anaheim past midnight.
Apparently, he wanted to teach a lesson to the crowd and the gang, who gathered outside his house. However, he did not get involved in any fight and returned home. The Daily Mail reported that "a fist fight broke out at the same intersection,” that had nothing to do with that man.
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Police were informed about the chaos but when they turned up nearly seven minutes after the initial call, the gang was gone. Law enforcement officials confirmed no injuries or accidents in the area and they added that no arrests were made. However, one enraged resident, Jorge Rodriguez, complained that this was the second time in a few weeks he had to wake up at night because of these supposed street takeovers. Rodriguez said, "Maybe it's because it’s easy for them to run when the police are coming. I think that's the reason they choose this corner."
Meanwhile, Anaheim Police Sergeant Shane Carringer said, "I would urge anyone who is coming out to these things to rethink what they're doing. They're causing thousands of dollars in damage, they're needlessly interfering with the lives of people who are just trying to get up and go to work the next morning and don't want to be subjected to this noise and this sort of behavior.”
As per the Los Angeles Times, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, street takeovers gained popularity because of deserted roads. The publication stated that there were 500 street takeovers in the first six months of 2021, but during the same time this year, the number surged to 705. "They have resulted in six deaths over the past eight months, including one of a teenage boy, and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is now working to crack down on these events," the report read.
Recently, the LAPD took 40 people into custody and seized a number of cars as it worked on stamping out street takeovers. The crack down also reportedly led to the arrest of an accused wanted for murder and another one wanted in a hit-and-run. However, the department sometimes faces issues while carrying out such operations because of the large number of people involved.
"If you really have two patrol cars out there, you can't do anything with 200 other cars on the runway. We've had officers attacked, we've had patrol cars crashed into, we've had people get run over while cars are leaving. Our hands are tied by our limited resources, and we can't really deal with the crowds,” LA County Sheriff’s Department Sgt Michael Downing said.