Austin police are bracing for a night of chaos as street takeovers continue to plague the city, marked by a series of recent events where cars and crowds have disturbed the peace with reckless driving antics. Last night, a large gathering disrupted traffic near East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Airport Boulevard. APD quickly dispersed the crowd, only for another to form at Capital Plaza close to I-35, but authorities managed to break up this assembly as well, as reported by KXAN.
These street takeovers have become an all-too-familiar sight for Austin residents, with an earlier incident on February 18 leading to multiple arrests and at least one injury; this event took place when cars blocked off the intersection of South Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road doing donuts, as per KXAN. The Street Takeover Task Force, a combined effort by the Department of Public Safety and local agencies, was established after these troubling occurrences to specifically address and deter such hazardous activities.
According to KVUE, officers responding to multiple calls of dozens of cars weaving in and out of lanes on East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Pershing Drive; these incidents are believed to be part of a street takeover, which was declared an unlawful assembly by authorities. After utilizing a chemical deterrent earlier in the day to disperse participants, the crowd recongregated at Capitol Plaza, though it remains unclear if any new arrests or injuries were reported.
