Copied in full from http://www.uniontrib.com/news/metro/20011216-9999_1m16arrests.html.
<b>Street drag racing leads to sweep by local police</b>
Team arrests 8, impounds seven cars during operation
By Terry Rodgers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 16, 2001
Hoping to put the skids to a dangerous pastime, San Diego police yesterday served arrest warrants on young adults suspected of participating in illegal street drag racing.
They were hauled out of bed in the early morning, handcuffed and escorted to patrol cars as their shocked and often embarrassed parents watched and alarmed neighbors peeked from behind drawn curtains.
Welcome to Operation Wake Up Call, the latest attempt by authorities to put a dent in youths' enthusiasm to be as cool behind the wheel as James Dean or Richard Petty.
Moving quickly before 7 a.m., a special operations team involving a dozen officers scattered across the county from National City to Oceanside in search of 20 drag-racing suspects. They netted eight arrests and impounded seven vehicles. The warrants remain active on the others, who could be arrested in future sweeps.
Those targeted by the operation ran the gamut from repeat offenders to first-time arrestees, police said. One of those picked up yesterday is charged with acting as the starter for the dragsters and faces 89 counts of acting as an accomplice for his participation in the races.
For the alleged perpetrators, the cost for bail, court-imposed fines and storage fees to reclaim their vehicles typically totals $5,000 by the time it's all over, police said.
One father clad in only his slippers and underwear was surprised and humiliated when he realized his son's arrest was being captured on videotape for a local television station.
"Jeez, it's like we're Public Enemy No. 1 here," said Richard Perry. "This is crazy. My son has never even gotten a ticket before."
Later, he admitted he has been concerned about the company his son has been keeping.
"I didn't think he'd be doing something stupid like street racing," Perry said.
The beleaguered dad from Clairemont cooperated fully with police. He voluntarily backed his son's souped-up, pearl-white Honda Accord out of the garage so police could tow it away. The car will sit in the storage yard for a minimum of 30 days, accumulating daily impound fees.
Asked how he will explain his arrest to his father, John R. Perry, 23, professed his innocence. "I don't even race, so he won't care," he said.
But the message police wish to deliver is as black and white as their patrol cars: Go drag racing today and you might get dragged away to jail tomorrow.
The crackdown on street drag racing is just beginning and will continue to unfold as police reap the results of ongoing undercover investigations from the newly formed Drag Net Unit, said Assistant Police Chief William A. Maheu.
He declined to describe the methods police may have used -- such as hidden video cameras -- to gather evidence against the alleged drag racers.
"This sends a message that any time there's illegal drag racing out there, (police) are watching," he said.
The renewed emphasis is the result of a $400,000 grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety earmarked for enforcement against illegal drag racing, Maheu said.
Police said those arrested yesterday were offered a free pass to participate in a legal racing program at Qualcomm Stadium called Racelegal.com that is sponsored by San Diego State University.
The popularity of late-night racing is a problem that is increasing locally and nationwide, said San Diego police Sgt. Greg Sloan.
Sloan said San Diego is one of the state's largest hotbeds for hot-rodding, adding that it also is reaching epidemic proportions in San Jose, Riverside and Ontario.
During one two-month period in 1998, eight people in the county died as a result of street-racing crashes, he said. Police could not cite any local deaths or injuries since then.
"We're trying to prevent a catastrophe," Sloan said.
Popular spots for illegal racing include Kearny Villa Road near state Route 163, Via Rancho Parkway outside Escondido and Sorrento Valley Road near Carmel Valley, police said.
The biggest impromptu car rallies have involved up to 1,200 vehicles and a few thousand spectators, who typically cram into a straightaway portion of suburban highway to hold competitions.
"They are basically driving over the feet of spectators out there," Sloan said.
Custom auto-parts shops that cater to street racers have increased from a couple in the 1970s to more than 500 countywide today, he said.
In Linda Vista, overlooking Mission Bay, Officers Steven Bourasa and Robert Hawkins caught up with Jason King, 20, as he returned from work on the night shift at a discount store.
Tears filled the eyes of Jason's aunt as her nephew was led away to a patrol car while his neighbors watched.
Bourasa told her that she would have to find a way to raise $2,500 bail to get her nephew out of jail. As for the car, it will remain impounded for at least a month, he said.
Jason's aunt, who identified herself only as Sandi, said using traditional hard-line, punitive police tactics won't change an illicit pastime that's generations old.
"Dying doesn't send a message to them," she said. "Getting arrested doesn't either. I don't know what will. These kids are in their own little world. It's their families and loved ones that sit home and cry.
"You can't just lock them all up. Street racing has been going on since Ford came out with the Model T."
As she spoke, a TV news crew focused its camera on a bumper sticker on Jason's souped-up Honda. It read, "Street Racing Is Against the Law."
Terry Rodgers: (619) 542-4566; [email protected]
<hr noshade width=60% size=1 align=left>
![]()
KORE Crew #19
I am at one with my duality.
http://www.geocities.com/skierd007/index.html
<b>Street drag racing leads to sweep by local police</b>
Team arrests 8, impounds seven cars during operation
By Terry Rodgers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 16, 2001
Hoping to put the skids to a dangerous pastime, San Diego police yesterday served arrest warrants on young adults suspected of participating in illegal street drag racing.
They were hauled out of bed in the early morning, handcuffed and escorted to patrol cars as their shocked and often embarrassed parents watched and alarmed neighbors peeked from behind drawn curtains.
Welcome to Operation Wake Up Call, the latest attempt by authorities to put a dent in youths' enthusiasm to be as cool behind the wheel as James Dean or Richard Petty.
Moving quickly before 7 a.m., a special operations team involving a dozen officers scattered across the county from National City to Oceanside in search of 20 drag-racing suspects. They netted eight arrests and impounded seven vehicles. The warrants remain active on the others, who could be arrested in future sweeps.
Those targeted by the operation ran the gamut from repeat offenders to first-time arrestees, police said. One of those picked up yesterday is charged with acting as the starter for the dragsters and faces 89 counts of acting as an accomplice for his participation in the races.
For the alleged perpetrators, the cost for bail, court-imposed fines and storage fees to reclaim their vehicles typically totals $5,000 by the time it's all over, police said.
One father clad in only his slippers and underwear was surprised and humiliated when he realized his son's arrest was being captured on videotape for a local television station.
"Jeez, it's like we're Public Enemy No. 1 here," said Richard Perry. "This is crazy. My son has never even gotten a ticket before."
Later, he admitted he has been concerned about the company his son has been keeping.
"I didn't think he'd be doing something stupid like street racing," Perry said.
The beleaguered dad from Clairemont cooperated fully with police. He voluntarily backed his son's souped-up, pearl-white Honda Accord out of the garage so police could tow it away. The car will sit in the storage yard for a minimum of 30 days, accumulating daily impound fees.
Asked how he will explain his arrest to his father, John R. Perry, 23, professed his innocence. "I don't even race, so he won't care," he said.
But the message police wish to deliver is as black and white as their patrol cars: Go drag racing today and you might get dragged away to jail tomorrow.
The crackdown on street drag racing is just beginning and will continue to unfold as police reap the results of ongoing undercover investigations from the newly formed Drag Net Unit, said Assistant Police Chief William A. Maheu.
He declined to describe the methods police may have used -- such as hidden video cameras -- to gather evidence against the alleged drag racers.
"This sends a message that any time there's illegal drag racing out there, (police) are watching," he said.
The renewed emphasis is the result of a $400,000 grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety earmarked for enforcement against illegal drag racing, Maheu said.
Police said those arrested yesterday were offered a free pass to participate in a legal racing program at Qualcomm Stadium called Racelegal.com that is sponsored by San Diego State University.
The popularity of late-night racing is a problem that is increasing locally and nationwide, said San Diego police Sgt. Greg Sloan.
Sloan said San Diego is one of the state's largest hotbeds for hot-rodding, adding that it also is reaching epidemic proportions in San Jose, Riverside and Ontario.
During one two-month period in 1998, eight people in the county died as a result of street-racing crashes, he said. Police could not cite any local deaths or injuries since then.
"We're trying to prevent a catastrophe," Sloan said.
Popular spots for illegal racing include Kearny Villa Road near state Route 163, Via Rancho Parkway outside Escondido and Sorrento Valley Road near Carmel Valley, police said.
The biggest impromptu car rallies have involved up to 1,200 vehicles and a few thousand spectators, who typically cram into a straightaway portion of suburban highway to hold competitions.
"They are basically driving over the feet of spectators out there," Sloan said.
Custom auto-parts shops that cater to street racers have increased from a couple in the 1970s to more than 500 countywide today, he said.
In Linda Vista, overlooking Mission Bay, Officers Steven Bourasa and Robert Hawkins caught up with Jason King, 20, as he returned from work on the night shift at a discount store.
Tears filled the eyes of Jason's aunt as her nephew was led away to a patrol car while his neighbors watched.
Bourasa told her that she would have to find a way to raise $2,500 bail to get her nephew out of jail. As for the car, it will remain impounded for at least a month, he said.
Jason's aunt, who identified herself only as Sandi, said using traditional hard-line, punitive police tactics won't change an illicit pastime that's generations old.
"Dying doesn't send a message to them," she said. "Getting arrested doesn't either. I don't know what will. These kids are in their own little world. It's their families and loved ones that sit home and cry.
"You can't just lock them all up. Street racing has been going on since Ford came out with the Model T."
As she spoke, a TV news crew focused its camera on a bumper sticker on Jason's souped-up Honda. It read, "Street Racing Is Against the Law."
Terry Rodgers: (619) 542-4566; [email protected]
<hr noshade width=60% size=1 align=left>
KORE Crew #19
I am at one with my duality.
http://www.geocities.com/skierd007/index.html
