Authorities bust 17 more for Austin 'street takeovers' last month

Authorities announced more than three dozen charges against 17 people from across the state Thursday in a sweeping investigation into the recent commandeering of Austin streets by joyriders.

The drivers' motive? For kicks, police say.

Those arrested, ranging in age from 15 to the late 30s, face charges that include reckless driving, evading arrest, obstruction of a highway and engaging in organized criminal activity.

Austin Police Chief Joe Chacon said "Operation Burnout" — a joint investigation that also included police agencies in the Houston, Dallas and San Antonio regions — identified key organizers of the so-called "street takeovers" on Feb. 18 and 19.

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Videos shot during the incidents captured cars spinning through intersections, loads of fireworks exploding, police officers dodging dozens of people running through the streets as the officers tried to stop the drivers. The incident went viral and turned into a national story.

"The events that occurred disrupted our community, they garnered much of our attention and they were clearly not good for our community," Chacon said.

Travis County District Attorney José Garza's office will prosecute the cases, saying that "these so-called street takeover incidents were dangerous and most of the activity associated with them is criminal."

Police had previously announced the arrest of seven people from the street takeovers on charges that included unlawful carrying of a weapon by a felon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, evading arrest, possession of a firearm and drug possession. The latest arrests brought the number of defendants to 24 total.

Chacon said Thursday that the investigation showed that the Austin area had seven street takeovers during that weekend, far more than police first thought. They were as far south as U.S. 290 and as far north as Howard Lane.

Chacon said detectives used those videos to trace the suspects. Evidence footage showed vehicles blocking intersections and doing doughnuts, along with people setting fires, lighting fireworks, and throwing rocks and bottles at officers and patrol cars.

There were also videos posted on social media that show one or two people catching on fire at the disturbances — and perhaps most strikingly — cars spinning in circles at the heavily trafficked intersection of Barton Springs Road and South Lamar Boulevard with hundreds of bystanders.

At one point, an Austin police SUV dispatched to the scene was forced to reverse when dozens of people surrounded the car.

Elsewhere that night, two Travis County sheriff’s patrol cars also were damaged in North Austin.

Austin became a focal point of what Gov. Greg Abbott said is an issue of increasing public concern in cities across the state.

Authorities have reported similar recent incidents in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, prompting Abbott to create a law enforcement task force housed in the Texas Department of Public Safety to approach investigations as organized crimes, which could possibly result in the seizure of cars and weapons as well as arrests.

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At the time of the Feb. 23 task force announcement, DPS Director Steve McCraw said statewide issues also have included drivers speeding at up to 130 miles per hour, lasers pointed at aircraft and fireworks fired into crowds.

The arrests in Austin are the most stemming from racing and similar events since September 2020, when Austin police arrested 22 people and impounded 25 cars after street racing at a North Austin movie theater parking lot.

"This is not just a local problem," McCraw said during the press conference. "This is a significant threat to the public, and it won't be tolerated in Austin and anywhere in the state. If you are involved in a street takeover, we are going after you."

"This is a no-go for Texas," he said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Authorities make 17 new arrests in Austin 'street takeovers'