Officials: 7 arrested in weekend 'street takeovers'; Austin police say 'vague' tip unhelpful

Officials have arrested seven people in connection to "street takeovers" that happened in four areas of Austin over the weekend and injured an officer, an official said.

The incidents involved vehicles blocking intersections and doing doughnuts, people setting fires and lighting fireworks, and throwing rocks and bottles at officers and patrol cars, police have said.

There are videos posted on social media that show one or two people catching on fire at the disturbances, but there weren't any reports of them going to local hospitals, Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said at a news conference on Tuesday. He said the injured officer was treated and released from a hospital.

Police received a "vague" tip on Friday night from San Antonio police about the possibility of a street takeover in Austin on Saturday, said Chacon.

More:Austin police arrest 2 in connection with street racing events, report 4 separate incidents

"There was no information about who was involved or where it would take place or what time," he said. "The tip was passed to patrol but due to the vague nature of the tip not much could be done to staff up or deploy."

The people who were involved were talking on encrypted chat channels where officers did not have any access, he said.

The six people arrested include Lewis Uris Martinez, 31; Joseph Springs, 41; Brian Serrano Benitez, 19; and 19-year-old Ali Nouredenne. They also include 19-year-old Riley Wright and 17-year-old Stefan Regalado.

Martinez was charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon by a felon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a probation violation. Springs was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and delivery of a controlled substance.

Benitez faces charges of evading arrest and possession of marijuana, and Nouredenne is charged with possession of a stolen firearm. Both Wright and Regalado are charged with evading arrest.

The Texas Department of Safety arrested 22-year-old Jerry Antonio Gore in connection to the incident, according to an arrest affidavit. Gore was charged with evading arrest and theft of a firearm. He told officials that he was "only in town for the street takeover event and was visiting from Dallas where he currently lived," the affidavit said. It said troopers found a loaded firearm as well as a short barrel rifle in his vehicle.

Additional arrests are expected, said Chacon. He also said he wanted to address complaints people had about being put on hold when they called 911 on Saturday night to report the disturbances.

When the 911 calls began around 9 p.m. Saturday, there were 12 call takers working, he said. Normally there would be 16 call takers but there is a staffing shortage that the Police Department is working hard to fill, the chief said. There were 266 calls between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, compared with 65 calls during that same half-hour the week before, he said.

The overwhelming number of calls resulted in long wait times, including one person who was put on hold for more than 27 minutes, said Chacon.

"This is obviously unacceptable," he said. "We have made strides and been getting more applications … but it takes time to hire them and train them."

The police chief also provided more details about the street takeovers, saying the first 911 call came in about 9:01 p.m. Saturday with someone saying there were vehicles blocking the intersection of Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road in South Austin and doing doughnuts, he said. Other callers said there were vehicles racing, fireworks being shot and cars running red lights, Chacon said.

Since there were no available patrol units in the area, a unit had to be dispatched from an adjoining area at 9:14 p.m., the chief said. The first patrol car arrived at the scene at 9:23 p.m. and officers saw hundreds of people and vehicles driving erratically, Chacon said.

When enough units had arrived, he said, officers attempted to disperse the crowd but were met with hostility and aggression. A total of 41 patrol units arrived at the scene and finally broke up the crowd at 9:46 p.m., said Chacon.

More:Chaotic Austin 'street racing incidents' Saturday night fuel local policing discourse

At 10:27 p.m. there were reports of another street takeover at Interstate 35 and East Anderson Lane. Officers responded and dispersed the crowd, Chacon said. The third incident was reported at 12:52 a.m. at Berkman Drive and Barbara Jordan Boulevard in East Austin. Officers arrived at 12:58 a.m. and dispersed the crowd at 1:07 a.m., Chacon said.

The fourth street takeover incident happened at 1:35 am. when multiple 911 callers said a fire had started at Metric Boulevard and Braker Lane in North Austin. When police arrived, the crowd smashed windows of patrol cars, ripped equipment off of them and threw rocks and bottles at officers, Chacon said. One officer was injured and taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released, Chacon said.

"I’ll end my comments by simply putting up support for our men and women who faced incredible danger that night with very large crowds that were intent on harming them, and yet they stood the course and did what needed to be done to ensure public safety and to disrupt their activities," Chacon said. "I assure you that that is what will happen moving forward. Our officers will be there, we’ll be ready, the plans are in place to disrupt this type of activity."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Seven arrested in 'street takeovers', Austin police chief Chacon says