Street takeovers have become a source of significant contention in cities nationwide. Some see them as gearheads simply having fun. However, the reality is that they’re often dangerous and disrupt the traffic flow. Recently, an instance of this illegal activity broke out in Oregon, leading the police to conduct multiple traffic stops in order to arrest the people behind the street takeover. 

Street takeovers may look like all fun and games, but they’re dangerous and often involve other criminal activities

According to KPTV Fox 14, a massive protest occurred in Salem, Oregon, on Saturday, February 1st. The demonstration was peaceful and was against the immigration enforcement efforts. The report says that at its peak, the crowd grew to include about 300 people, which happened around 2 p.m. that day. Specifically, this took place near the intersection of Northeast Lancaster Drive and Northeast Market Street. However, this isn’t the story here as a street takeover soon, well, took over the event. 

At a certain point, some people began throwing objects at cars, blocking traffic, and even lit fireworks. By about eight o’clock that day, a street takeover had entirely interrupted the peaceful demonstration. The drivers were doing doughnuts and drifting, and the report says about 50 participants were on foot, demonstrating disruptive behavior. 

This led to the police being called, who conducted traffic stops on the vehicles and pursued arrests. In total, they arrested five people for various charges, including reckless driving and disorderly conduct. The officers also seized an illegal gun. Among the arrests, the youngest person was 19, and the oldest of the five was 34. 

The Salem Police Chief released a statement about the peaceful protest turned street takeover. He said, “Saturday’s unruly protest, along with other emergency calls including an armed kidnapping, strained our limited patrol staffing resources. Multiple Salem officers were called in from home and partner agencies also responded to ensure safety was maintained and criminal offenders were appropriately held accountable. I am very proud of the work our officers accomplished under challenging and dangerous circumstances, yesterday’s events just being the most recent examples. I want to thank them and our regional partners for their service, dedication, and professionalism.”