VALLEY'S HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT POLICE SWEEP FOLLOWS OPENING OF DRAG RACE FILM.

Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer

SUN VALLEY - Fueled by the drag racing movie ``The Fast and the Furious,'' police cracked down on illegal street racing in the Northeast Valley early Saturday.

The Illegal Street Racing Task Force made up of 45 officers from three agencies descended on Glenoaks Boulevard between Peoria and Sheldon streets, citing 106 people for attending a drag race and impounding 91 vehicles.

They also arrested four men, ranging in age from 20 to 24, for allegedly engaging in an illegal speed contest, and two 19-year-olds on suspicion of aiding and abetting the racing.

``The movie gives a false impression to kids that they're invincible and nothing can happen to them,'' said Foothill Division Senior Lead Officer Ron Walker. ``These young people went out and saw it, got inspired I guess and then got Mom's car impounded.''

Police conducted the sting following Friday's release of the PG-13 rated film about the high-octane world of drag racing and its adrenaline-seeking enthusiasts.

Although Universal Pictures is running public service announcements and other disclaimers disavowing street racing, authorities fear the movie perpetuates a dangerous and illegal hobby.

Making an impression

Lewis Yablonsky, emeritus professor of sociology and criminology at California State University, Northridge, said such films such idealize criminal behavior and influence some impressionable filmgoers.

``By and large, the people that are going to go see the movie are those young folks,'' Yablonsky said of the drag racing flick. ``I think it will encourage illegal racing and car races.''

The director of ``The Fast and the Furious'' defended his film as clean, harmless fun and said most viewers will be able to differentiate between fantasy and reality.

``In my view, as threatening as Bob Dylan was to my parents, (he) was as exciting and stimulating to me as a teen-ager,'' said director Rob Cohen.

Cohen said the film will help educate the public about the little known world of street racing and its emotional tug on young men and women.

But he stopped short of saying the film would entice viewers to practice its elaborate stunts.

``There's no doubt that if the movie is successful, people will have increased awareness of a subculture that has existed,'' Cohen said. ``I think most people can make judgments as to what they want to participate in.''

During the making of the film, Cohen observed a street race in the San Fernando Valley. He said he did not witness public drinking, drug or gang activity but a world where cars showed the pride of participants and those of different ethnicities and races freely mingled.

Drinking, drugs, death

Police paint a different picture. They say that it is nearly impossible to disengage street racing from drinking, drugs and in some cases, death.

``There's definitely alcohol involved, there's definitely narcotics used in the group,'' Walker said.

During Saturday's police sweep, just after midnight, one person was cited on suspicion of marijuana possession, Walker said. A small number of the roughly 200 young people assembled for the races - clocked at speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour - on four-lane Glenoaks Boulevard were ticketed for allegedly consuming alcohol.

Those gathered did not appear to be involved with gangs, but ``were just ordinary kids,'' said Walker.

During the past 12 months, seven of Los Angeles County's 12 street-racing fatalities have occurred in the city of Los Angeles, according to LAPD and California Highway Patrol statistics.

Wanting to win

In the Valley, as many as 300 to 400 racing fans gather at favorite locations such as Glenoaks Boulevard, between Peoria and Sheldon streets, and San Fernando Road, between Sepulveda Boulevard and Roxford Street.

``There's an excitement. ... It's kind of like a ripple effect because everybody wants to be a winner and they're going to do whatever they can to win,'' said one former racer.

But the stakes are high.

Those caught racing can be arrested on suspicion of engaging in a speed contest, a misdemeanor. People who flag the start of a race can also be arrested for aiding and abetting.

Two of those taken into custody Saturday, a Glendale woman and a North Hollywood man, both 19, were suspected of having dropped their arms to signal the start of the two races that police witnessed, Walker said.

And just being present at a drag race can also bring trouble - an infraction under the Los Angeles Municipal Code.

Despite those consequences, street racing has remained popular since the 1950s. Realizing that the sport is here to stay, police and others have tried to come up with alternatives for enthusiasts.

In San Bernardino County, a quarter-mile drag strip has been created for street racers at the California Speedway in Fontana with the first weekend of racing scheduled for Sept. 8-9. < Said the former racer: ``Save it for the track... It's far more safe and organized rather than being at San Fernando or Coldwater and you're subject to anything (from) gangs, violence, theft (to) accidents, it's just not worth it.''

Staff Writer Katie Cooper contributed to this story.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1) Rayna Lopez of Panorama City waits as Los Angeles police Officer Dan Parra cites her as a spectator of a street race at Glenoaks Boulevard between Peoria and Sheldon streets early Saturday.

(2) Drivers line up, waiting for police to issue citations, at the street racing crackdown. Police impounded 91 vehicles.

(3 -- 4) Police, left, cite spectators of the racing in Sun Valley. Police handed out 106 spectator citations. Above, Brian Garcia of Glendale looks out from a patrol car after being detained.

(5) California Highway Patrol Officer Steve Halbleib examines Rayna Lopez's 1992 Honda Civic during the crackdown at Glenoaks Boulevard between Peoria and Sheldon streets.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer