Street Takeover In Granada Hills Leads To 11 Arrests, 21 Impounds

GRANADA HILLS, CA — A “street takeover” in Granada Hills over the weekend led to 11 arrests, 21 cars impounded, and several injuries, including two officers trying to break up the crowd.

On Saturday at around 10 p.m., dozens of cars took over the intersection of San Fernando Mission and Balboa boulevards, where they sped around in “doughnuts” and blocked traffic.

California Highway Patrol officers arrived at around 10:40 p.m. and blocked off the intersection, Officer Weston Haver told the Los Angeles Times. Fights erupted as officers tried to break up the crowd, including one in which four officers struggled to detain a suspect. In one such interaction, two officers and a suspect were injured, Haver said.

21 vehicles were impounded and 25 citations were issued. A second takeover occurred the same night on Foothill Boulevard in Sylmar, but no arrests or impounds have been reported.

Street takeovers have increased during the pandemic, which has emptied out previously busy streets. In October, a pickup truck flipped during a takeover in Costa Mesa, killing a 23-year-old passenger. In Anaheim, an 18-year-old woman was struck by a car and flipped into the air.

Meetups like these typically occur every weekend, Haver told The Times.