Early Friday morning in Anaheim, what began as an illegal street takeover ended in violence and injury when a driver lost control of their vehicle and plowed into a crowd of spectators. According to NBC Los Angeles, the incident occurred at the intersection of Orangewood and State College Boulevard around 2 a.m., during which a black Dodge Charger spun out of control, hitting two 19-year-old men from Orange and Lancaster.
Dressed in Halloween attire, hundreds reportedly documented the event on their cell phones when the driver spun into the bystanders. Following the collision, the men were rushed to the hospital with major injuries but were later reported to be in stable condition. The chaotic scene led to the driver fleeing after the crowd began attacking the vehicle, as Anaheim Police Sergeant Jacob Gallacher explained to NBC Los Angeles, “It used to be that these were done over social media with open source pages." Gallacher added, "Now they’re using WhatsApp and other applications to contact people to identify where these (takeovers) are going to happen.”
Witness accounts detail a scene filled with chaos and confusion. Dave Downs, a Chapman University student living nearby, told KTLA, “It was late and it was a bit of, ‘Is this actually happening or am I asleep?’” Videos posted on social media displayed the crowd attempting to lift the Dodge Charger off the injured men, including one who appeared "bloodied and barely conscious." Police are actively searching for the suspect driver who now faces potential felony hit-and-run charges and are also looking for additional victims who may have not yet come forward.
Anyone with pertinent information regarding the street takeover or the driver involved is encouraged to reach out to the Anaheim Police at 714-765-1900, as they investigate the incident and study social media footage to aid in their search. This incident is a grim reminder of the dangerous intersection of unorganized public spectacles and reckless behavior. A statement obtained by CBS Los Angeles from Sgt. Jacob Gallacher emphasized those dangers, saying, "It's just extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous behavior."
