Teen watching Orange County street takeover is hit, left with broken bones

Vanessa Arredondo
·1 min read
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EAST COMPTON, CA - AUGUST 14: A car drifts around spectators gathered in the middle of the intersection during an early morning street takeover at Compton Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue in East Compton on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. Takeovers are a growing trend and residents say that law enforcement are not doing enough to stop them. There have been some residents who say that the events are dangerous and keep them up at night. Some spectators said they feel like they're not bothering anyone and they only happen at night when the streets are empty. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Authorities are searching for a driver who struck a teenager and fled during a street takeover Friday night in Tustin. Above, a takeover last year in East Compton. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Orange County authorities are searching for a driver who struck a teenager and fled during an illegal street takeover in Tustin.

Police responded to reports of street racing on Tustin Ranch Road and an “intersection takeover” at Park and Warner avenues about 11:40 p.m. Friday.

The teenager, a spectator, suffered several broken bones after being struck by a dark sedan doing burnouts and was taken to a hospital in stable condition, police said.

Read more: Santa Rosa's plan to curb street takeovers? Sue organizers for pollution

KTLA-TV Channel 5 obtained cellphone video shot by the unidentified teen just before being struck. The video shows several people crowding the intersection as two vehicles do spinouts.

When officers arrived, they found about 300 cars parked on the roadway and doing burnouts and doughnuts in the intersection as spectators lit fireworks and shined laser pointers, officials said. Police towed 51 vehicles and impounded 18 cars for 30 days. Twenty citations were issued for various vehicle code violations, police said.

Anyone with more information is asked to call Tustin police at (714) 573-3218.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.