POLICE BREAK UP ILLEGAL STREET RACE; FOUR ARRESTED; FIVE HOT RODS IMPOUNDED.Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer Four people were arrested and 330 street racers Street Racer is a racing game, similar to Super Mario Kart, released for the Super Nintendo in 1994, the PlayStation in 1995 and also the Amiga, Amiga CD32, Mega Drive/Genesis, PC and Sega Saturn. and spectators were cited Wednesday as officers broke up a weekly, illegal race on Plummer Street, police said. The racers - most of them juveniles - have been meeting every Tuesday night and racing into Wednesday morning on Plummer Street for the past couple months. Police said racers favor this industrial section of Chatsworth because the streets are wide and usually deserted, but business owners and residents complain regularly. ``This has become known as the place to go,'' said Capt. Joe Curreri, the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. police area commanding officer for the Devonshire Division. ``It appears to be very well organized.'' Tuesday night, dozens of officers from Devonshire's Cruiser cruiser, large, fast, moderately armed warship, intermediate in type between the aircraft carrier and the destroyer. During World War II, battle cruisers operated as small battleships, combining in one vessel maximum qualities of gun caliber, armor protection, and Task Force converged on the crowd of 500 people and 150 souped-up vehicles that were doubled up and ready to race on the four-lane street. Five cars were impounded, 330 people at the race were cited for being at a speed contest, and 16 juveniles also were ticketed for being out past the city's 10 p.m. curfew curfew [O.Fr.,=cover fire], originally a signal, such as the ringing of a bell, to damp the fire, extinguish all lights in the dwelling, and retire for the night. The custom originated as a precaution against fires and was common throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. . ``We're very interested in the safety of our young people. Quite often, this activity results in traffic injuries and fatalities,'' Curreri said. A 16-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon Assault with a Deadly Weapon is the term used to describe the act of threatening to harm one or more people by using a weapon (usually a firearm). Here, assault must be differentiated from battery as they are often confused. Assault is threatening to use force. on a police officer after what police said was an attempt to run over the officer while trying to flee. Three others were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. On Wednesday, 19-year-old Ozzy Deltoro said he has regularly raced on Plummer Street, but did not show up Tuesday. ``It's the competition and adrenaline adrenaline (ədrĕn`əlĭn, –lēn): see epinephrine. when you race somebody,'' Deltoro said. ``Here, you find out who's got the fastest engine. It's wide-open with no other cars. And there's little alleyways to escape from police.'' Deltoro added that the street racers usually don't accept a bet of less than $500. And the stakes can be as high as $5,000 - or even ownership of a hot rod hot rod Automobile rebuilt or modified for high speed, fast acceleration, or sporty appearance. A wide range of automobiles may be called hot rods, including some of those used in drag racing as well as those used in recreational cruising. . Officers are working with the National Hot Rod Association
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to offer incentives for young people to use legal racetracks. They include free tickets to racetracks for cited racers. ``There's a potential for disaster. These youngsters have a long life ahead of them. We want to make sure they live out that life,'' Curreri said. CAPTION(S): map Map: Chatsworth Site of illegal street racing |
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