Compton is known as the “mecca of street takeovers,” and city officials and residents are fed up with illegal car shows.
Compton Mayor Emma Sharif and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced action.
Residents took to Compton City Hall on Tuesday to express their frustration, anger and heartache over the street takeover, the most recent of which occurred over the weekend. The takeover led to a turbulent night of theft Saturday, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Sharif condemns takeovers and thefts, which have resulted in thousands of dollars in stolen goods.
“These street takeovers have plagued our community for too long,” said Sharif. “Previously, most of the participants weren’t from our city but came here to participate in these takeovers and other senseless crimes.”
The forum also brought to light the death of Raymond Olivares, 27, in February.
Olivares works as an engineer for the city of Los Angeles and lives on Avalon Street in Compton, according to his sister, Cindi Enamorado, who spoke at the City Council meeting. Olivares was walking with his fiancée when the two were hit by a car down the street on February 19 as it was leaving the scene of a nearby road seizure, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
“There has to be a stop to this. This is organized crime,” Enamorado said through tears.
Enamorado tells of her brother’s gruesome death, about how a car traveling at 100 mph hit him, throwing his body across the street.
“He lost several parts of his body in the crash… was hit by another car,” she said. “People drive by recording him. … They made a joke about my brother’s departure.
Olivares’ death did not stop the street takeover from continuing in Compton. Since January, the Sheriff’s Department said it has responded to 166 takeovers in the city.
Sheriff’s Department Captain Terrence Bell said takeovers took place Saturday night at Long Beach Avenue and Rosecrans Avenue, as well as at Central and Rosecrans Avenues, among “many other places.”
The takeover involved hundreds of people, said Bell, and left the Sheriff’s Department scrambling, said Bell, who called Compton “a mecca of street takeovers.” Last year, the Sheriff’s Department said it responded to 498 separate takeovers.
Bell said Saturday’s illegal takeovers moved from intersection to intersection as deputies tried to clear the street and a convenience store was burglarized and vandalized.
“The looting won’t happen again. We won’t have it again,” Bell said.
Bell said he’s reassigned some delegates to work over the weekend and has received additional resources from across the county to help “fight this problem.”
“You will see enforcement by the end of the week,” he said. “We will not tolerate any more street takeovers.”
Street takeover has skyrocketed in Los Angeles since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from the Los Angeles Police Department, in the first six months of 2021, there were 500 takeovers reported. In 2022, the LAPD reported 705 takeovers.
