Proposed city ordinance would allow police to impound cars involved in stunt driving meetups
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Drivers stop traffic while spinning around and doing donuts – in a dangerous thrill that seems to be growing every weekend in Chicago.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported, it's a problem that leaves a mess behind. So many concentric rings of tire tracks now tarnish the intersection of Clinton and Monroe streets in the West Loop after car enthusiasts used the middle of that intersection to spin around this past weekend.
Now, a proposed city ordinance could provide a tool for police fighting such activities. Alderman will lay out their newest plan Tuesday.
It's not just dangerous driving and tire tracks that are a problem. Sometimes, participants in the stunt driving events ignite a ring of fire in the street that people stand inside. Meanwhile, weaponized fireworks have sometimes been aimed at responding police officers.
The scenes captured in cell phone video posted to the Citizen app this past weekend show street racers and stunt drivers taking over intersections in West Loop and South Loop.
None of the drivers were charged or arrested. But Chicago Police, responding to a drag racing call on South Canal Street, did arrest a 17-year-old seen throwing fireworks at them.
The teen has been charged with felony aggravated assault of a police officer.
All of this has happened before, across the city – and it is becoming a real issue. It is also an issue that aldermen want to give Chicago Police a new way to target.
A proposed ordinance has just approved by city's council's Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety. If approved by the full City Council, it would allow Chicago police to impound cars involved in such activities - whether the owner is there or not.
"When I introduced this ordinance, I did so at the request of our local police commanders," said Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), the sponsor of the ordinance.
Reilly addressed the committee Monday, referring to issues from over the weekend. He described what the city calls drag racing and drifting as "figure skating with a car."
Reilly said something has to be done here before someone is killed.
"I think when people start seeing their vehicles impounded, they're going realize there are real consequences for this activity," he said, "and again, it puts our communities at risk."
But it's not as simple as impounding a car involved in a stunt meetup, and identified on video or tracked by police.
Per the ordinance:
• Before impounding a car, police are required to mail the car owner a "notice of intent to impound."
• The notice would include a statement of probable cause, police report, description of vehicle, and the date and time of violation.
• The car owner would have the right to contest the impoundment.
Molina reached out to Chicago Police with questions about what they're doing now to target this crime, Again, the drivers this weekend were never arrested or charged.
There was no response to those questions Monday.
Meanwhile, the Mayor's office said Mayor Lori Lightfoot was asked about the stunt driving meetups and the proposed ordinance at an unrelated news conference Monday. Specifically, the mayor was asked about concerns that the ordinance might not have enough teeth to be an effective deterrent.
The mayor responded:
"We worked a lot with Alderman Reilly, who's the chief sponsor of that ordinance, to make sure we had one that was in compliance with the city laws, and really gave the Police Department an opportunity to be successful in shutting these things down. As you know, unfortunately, drag racing and drifting have been a thing in our city for decades. I live not too far from Fullerton Avenue, and it's an issue along Fullerton from time to time. We're seeing on a regular basis these car clubs that mass of 50, 100 to drive through a city.
"We want people to be able to enjoy the city, but they've got to do it in a way that is safe. We shut down – I think effectively, but time will tell – the drag racing that was going on on Lower Wacker, because that was obviously creating a significant public safety, but also hazard to the onlookers. One of those cars spins out of control, that whole crowd could be taken out. So what we want to encourage is people to be smart about how they're using vehicles."
