Grapevine looks to crack down on 'street takeovers'
GRAPEVINE, Texas - Fed up with dangerous street takeovers, another North Texas city has a message for the underworld of reckless drivers.
"We just we want to make sure everyone knows that Grapevine is not the city to come to do this," said Grapevine Police spokeswoman Amanda McNew.
Grapevine police were called to the intersection of Main Street and Dallas Road on Dec. 31, 2022 around 11 p.m. for cars doing burnouts and donuts, with a crowd of people standing just feet away.
'Ringleader' of Grapevine New Year's Eve street takeover arrested, police say
The Grapevine Police Department says the ‘ringleader’ of a dangerous street takeover on New Year's Eve has been arrested and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity.
"It’s not just the drivers who are endangering the public, but the spectators who are trying to record this happening. They're endangering the public as well by promoting it. They’re also putting themselves at risk by standing in the middle of it," said McNew.
Now the city has taken action.
State law covers penalties for driver violators, but it does not address spectators.
A newly-adopted law in Grapevine targets people watching, promoting or being otherwise involved in the dangerous activity. The law, which is similar to crackdowns in other cities, fines violators up to $500.
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VIDEO: Fort Worth street takeover leads to 1 arrest
One person was arrested and charged with reckless driving after a Fort Worth street takeover on Sunday night.
The New Year's Eve stunt was quickly broken up and days later investigators tracked down Juan Rodriguez, whom they call a "ring leader."
They are still working to identify others.
"For our department we are utilizing surveillance cameras and social media posts to help identify suspects. We’re also monitoring to see if it’s going to happen again, if there’s anything we can do to prevent it from happening in our city," McNew said.