Sheriff Politely Goes Scorched Earth On Street Takeover Clowns

[useapen]

Back on February 3, the San Joaquin County Sideshow Taskforce made a huge
bust, arresting 150 people and seizing 88 cars that were part of a huge
street takeover event. Apparently, the owners of those seized cars have
been calling and whining about getting them back, so Sheriff Patrick
Withrow shared a brutally honest message with them via Instagram recently.

Teen in BMW leads Florida police on chase just for “fun.”

In a recorded video, he informed the owners of those 88 vehicles that
since they were used in the commission of a crime they’re being held
indefinitely. That’s right, these street takeover enthusiasts clowns are
starting to realize there can be serious consequences for breaking the
law.

We wish more law enforcement agencies would be this hardnosed with the
street takeover or sideshow crowd. The problem never would have become so
pervasive had everyone taken this approach. Instead, many law enforcement
officials and prosecutors have treated this crowd with kid gloves.

Sheriff Withrow explained the only way the cars will be released is once
the district attorney’s office informs his office that each individual
vehicle is no longer needed for the prosecution of the crimes committed.
Knowing how fast the wheels of justice turn, these rides could be held in
the impound lot for some time.

And Sheriff Withrow seems pleased at that likelihood. After all, as he
notes they can’t be used as a public nuisance again anytime soon. That
means citizens in his county can actually drive through intersections
freely and not have to fear they’ll get on the bad side of a bunch of
children who think they can take over roads whenever they please.

Now the real kicker is how Sheriff Withrow says he’s looking at possibly
going for “a destruction order for any vehicle deemed to be a public
menace.”

We’re normally not fans of destroying perfectly good cars just because
they were used in the commission of a crime, but since these rides likely
wouldn’t be auctioned off and most of them are pretty thrashed anyway,
this might be the only way to get the message to the street takeover gangs
that they need to find a new hobby, preferably one that doesn’t involve
breaking the law.

Check out Sheriff Withrow’s message for yourself.

Images via San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office

https://news.yahoo.com/sheriff-politely-goes-scorched-earth-210000295.html

[David Hartung]

The county is doing the right thing.