A monster truck named Rhinomite is set to crush a 2009 Dodge Charger this Saturday at Louisville's KFC Yum! Center, the latest move by local police to make an example out of a vehicle tied to an illegal street takeover. The Charger was seized by Louisville Metro Police during a 2024 street takeover at Shawnee Park, and investigators say it was loaded with stolen parts, including a 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat engine.
According to WLKY, investigators identified the stolen engine along with stolen seats, wheels, transmission components, an exhaust system, suspension parts, brakes, and electronic modules installed on the car. Police said more than nine stolen parts in total were found on the vehicle, according to WHAS11. The station reports the stolen parts were traced back to Detroit and Indianapolis before the Charger ended up in Louisville.
A Public Warning Timed to a Monster Truck Show
LMPD is partnering with Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live for the crushing, which the department and the touring show intend as a message about the consequences of illegal street takeovers, per the station's report. The destruction is tied to the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow-N-Fire tour stop, which the KFC Yum! Center says runs October 17 and 18, 2026. The venue's event listing also notes the tour is introducing a new dynamite-rhino-themed truck called Rhinomite this year.
Exactly when the crushing will take place Saturday is unclear. WHAS11 reported the Charger will be destroyed during Saturday's 6:30 p.m. show, while the KFC Yum! Center's own event page lists Saturday performances at 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the show can be purchased through the venue.
LMPD Chief: 'Illegal Street Racing Has Consequences'
LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey has framed the Charger's destruction as part of a broader crackdown, saying street takeovers are crimes and that illegal street racing has consequences, per the same report. It is not the first time Louisville has turned to public destruction to make that point. The station notes that an SUV used during an illegal street race was crushed earlier, in what was described as the first vehicle crushed under the city's street racing ordinance.
That earlier push has included some striking price tags. A 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat valued at $100,000 was pancaked at a Louisville impound lot, as reported by WLKY. At a separate event, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg pressed the button to crush a green Dodge Durango with a Hellcat engine that police said had been stolen from Michigan, according to WHAS11.
A City-Wide Enforcement Push
The numbers behind Louisville's crackdown have been climbing. WLKY reports the city seized 70 cars in 2024, which the mayor said was more than in any prior year in Louisville's history, and that LMPD has seized a total of 167 cars involved in street racing under the city's ordinance. In one weekend alone, LMPD said it seized 14 cars during multiple illegal street-takeover events, including at least three on a single Sunday, the outlet reported.
Police have told WHAS11 that illegal street racing is down around 40 percent thanks to the ordinance, according to Humphrey's estimate. The department has since auctioned four confiscated cars and scrapped one, while 15 vehicles tied to street racing currently sit in its tow lot, per the same report. Louisville is not alone in turning to public destruction as deterrence: in Las Vegas, police demolished two cars tied to illegal street racing as part of a crackdown on takeovers there, according to FOX5 Vegas.
