A viral TikTok video showed what it was like to be caught in the middle of an illegal street car race during which a shooting took place on the San Antonio highway on Sunday, January 15th. The San Antonio Police Department said a “street takeover” led to the shooting. and then a four-car crash on Interstate 10.
According to the San Antonio Police, “street takeover” involves a large group of cars seizing an intersection or parking lot, and in most cases is not race related at all. Cars will perform donuts, burnouts, or other displays of speed and acceleration.
During the coronavirus pandemic, “street seizures” have increased dramatically where drivers met and blocked traffic. This was noticed by local and state leaders. Texas laws passed in 2021 change illegal street racing from a class B misdemeanor to a class A misdemeanor.
A viral TikTok video showed a shootout on the San Antonio highway on Sunday, January 15th.
Ken BrancaWhat happened on Sunday?
San Antonio police said that around 10 p.m. Sunday night, several cars blocked I-10 near Callaghan Road before turning to donuts. They also said that at least one person fired a pistol. As the officers began to arrive, the cars began to leave at high speed. As a result, four cars collided,” the GUPD said in a statement.
Police said no witnesses remained to cooperate with the investigation. Participants in an accident involving four cars were not seriously injured and refused hospitalization. The SAPD did not say if any arrests had taken place.
“SAPD is aware that we have incidents from time to time with street racers or people performing with their cars doing donuts, burnouts or other displays of speed and acceleration,” SAPD said in a statement. “These are usually isolated incidents and we ask the public to call the police and report these activities so we can respond. On the rare occasions when a large number of car club members are planning to “take over the streets”, we track them through our Fusion Center and respond. respectively. Our Street Crime Unit takes the lead in nighttime street racing with DWI as a back-up. We use all resources, including helicopters, to coordinate the response and ensure the safety of the population.”
The police want to remind others that it is illegal to block the path of the police or other emergency services. Fines can increase to the level of a felony and vehicles can be confiscated.
viral video
San Antonio local R.J. Fontenot made a viral TikTok video in the midst of the takeover. The short video captures the sounds of gunfire from the shootout that took place on the track. It has received over 5.6 million views and over 360,000 likes. He said he was fine after the experience.
“The takeovers should stop the man,” TikToker said. “This is ridiculous. You are putting innocent people in danger.”
In the comments, he elaborated that most acquisitions in San Antonio are going extreme, which many agreed.
Video below (uses obscene language):
