Shocking moment truck plows into crowd at street takeover as ghoulish spectators rush to the crash to film victims and jump on the vehicle

A pickup truck plowed into a crowd during an unruly “street takeover” event in South Los Angeles, prompting a swarm of onlookers to rush and film the crash.

The wreck happened Friday evening at the intersection of Normandie Avenue and West Gage Avenue and was filmed live on the streaming platform Kick.

Footage shows a silver pickup truck making donuts around a steel barrel in which a fire is burning. The driver appears to lose control of the vehicle and drives into a crowd that has gathered nearby.

Other spectators shout and run to the crash site with their cell phones raised. A group of young men climb on top of the truck before members of the crowd shout that the driver appears to be reversing.

Street takeovers, also called sideshows, are informal demonstrations of car stunts often held at public intersections. The gatherings are subject to episodes of gun violence and fatalities, with most injuries going unreported to police.

The driver appeared to lose control of the vehicle and encountered a group of onlookers gathered at the intersection of West Gage Avenue and Normandie Avenue.

Other onlookers shouted and rushed to the crash site, holding up their cellphones to capture the chaos

It is unclear whether anyone was injured on Friday.

The latest takeover follows a similar event last weekend, which involved an estimated 50 cars. The crowd began to disperse when officers arrived around 3:30 a.m. Saturday.

That morning, a Jeep was doused with gasoline and set on fire at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and West 63rd Street while another vehicle did donuts around it. No injuries were reported and no arrests were made, officials said.

Street takeovers have a deadly track record. In August 2023, two people were killed after gunfire erupted during a rally in the Florence-Graham neighborhood. One victim died on the spot, the other died in hospital.

In perhaps one of the most infamous cases, a nursing student died after being pinned between a light pole and an out-of-control Chevy Camaro in December 2022.

Three cars were speeding and drinking donuts at the intersection of Florence Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard when one of the drivers lost control and encountered a crowd on the sidewalk. Elyzza Guajaca, 24, was taken to hospital and later succumbed to her injuries.

Surveillance footage shows the driver getting out of the car and fleeing on foot after getting into a scuffle with witnesses. That man, 28-year-old Dante Chapple Young, was arrested in New Mexico and charged in connection with Guajaca’s death.

Early last month, the Los Angeles City Council voted 12 to 1 to launch a pilot program at 20 intersections to combat street takeovers. Raised center lines will be installed to deter motorists from performing stunts, officials said.

The intersection at Normandie and Gage is one of the intersections affected by the initiative.

The Los Angeles Police Department is also calling for cameras to be installed on street corners. The program is still in development, with officials looking to identify 30 more intersections in the coming months.

Last Saturday morning at another intersection, a jeep was doused with gasoline and set on fire. The vehicle burned in the middle of the street while another car did donuts around it

Nursing student Elyzza Guajaca, 24, was killed in 2022 after an out-of-control driver crashed into a crowd, pinning her between a lamppost and his vehicle

Speaking to KTLA last year, LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno denounced the illegal gatherings following Guajaca’s death.

‘People are being run over, people are being hit, people are being attacked, attacked. We’re waiting, like, “Where’s the police report?” and they never come forward,” Moreno said.

“It’s kind of sick in a way. This culture is, that’s what they do.

“It’s a bit like a code they use, I think, where someone is nearly beaten to death and he or she doesn’t come forward as a victim.”

Last month, the LAPD’s Street Racing Tasking Force announced in a press release the arrest of a man believed to be one of the largest organizers of street takeovers in the southern part of the state.

The agency executed a search warrant in the town of Paramount and arrested Erick Romero Quintana, 20, on the morning of February 7.

“With more than 70,000 followers on social media, this organizer has coordinated events throughout Southern California that have resulted not only in large-scale takeovers, but also robberies, auto thefts and other violent crimes, including murder,” the press release said. .