New 'street takeover' laws: Will they apply to this weekend's takeovers in Austin?
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Target parking lot off of Research Boulevard in north Austin is scarred with tire marks Monday after DPS says dozens of drivers showed up over the weekend, doing donuts and driving recklessly.
At least three people were sent to the hospital after that event. DPS says they went after one of the drivers involved, but the car took off and hit another. The state agency said the car didn't have its headlights on and was speeding.
The Austin Police Department told KXAN it responded to several other locations on Saturday night tied to "street takeovers" between 9:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. including:
- Payton Gin and Ohlen Road
- Barton Springs and South Lamar
- 9900 block of South IH-35 service road southbound
- 8600 block of North Mopac Expressway
- 400 block of Center Ridge Drive
"Anyone with any information should submit their tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest," APD wrote.
According to court documents, at least one person was arrested by DPS after a similar event roughly 10 minutes away from the Target at a business on Howard Lane over the weekend.
Court documents say DPS saw cars doing donuts in a parking lot and that a young man ran fled from troopers after being confronted. He's been charged with evading.
"It's chaos. You know, it's there's so many different individuals involved and of course, there's the crowd that gathered around," said Kevin Lawrence, the executive director of the Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA).
New laws target street takeovers, racing
Gov. Greg Abbott signed two bills into law last month that target illegal street takeovers and street racing. One could impact people now, the other goes into effect later this year.
"Hopefully having some legal recourse and legal impact to them will deter future behavior," Lawrence said.
KXAN previously reported that House Bill 1442 will create a new section of the criminal code for obstructing streets and will make the consequences for those charged with street racing and takeovers harsher in some cases. That law goes into effect Sept. 1.
Meanwhile, House Bill 2899 will allow the immediate removal and impounding of vehicles involved in street racing, takeovers or other illegal activities blocking traffic. That law is in effect now, KXAN previously reported.
Neither APD nor DPS said whether those laws will play a role in the consequences handed to those involved in street takeovers this weekend.
"Now we've got to wait and see how those things play out and see just exactly how effective they're going to be," Lawrence said.