Deputies cite several people during this weekend's street takeover crackdown
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said they have cited several people for street takeovers after promising to crack down on sideshows plaguing Compton.
"It's not quiet yet like we want it to be but it's not like the weekend before," said Maria Villareal, the president of the Latino Chamber of Commerce.
Villareal was among the many Compton residents that called on the City Council to put an end to street takeovers after a massive mob of people broke into six businesses after a series of sideshows. In response, the department promised to up patrols in the area and teamed up with the California Highway Patrol to respond to reported street takeovers. According to deputies, they cited several people on Saturday and Sunday.
Digna Samanigo, the owner of one of the businesses broken into earlier this month, also said she saw more law enforcement patrolling the area of Long Beach Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue. However, she still fears that the takeovers and break-ins will continue.
"It disturbed me because I can feel and see the pain when they break in and just vandalize," said Villareal.
One quiet weekend isn't worth celebrating for Villareal, so she canvassed 75 Compton businesses to spread her message; if residents want to see real change they need to start coming together and speaking out.
"We have this issue. We have homeless," she said. "And then someone is coming over to take over our city. Enough is enough."
The city plans to add more deterrents called Botts' Dotts aimed at stemming street takeovers. Mayor Emma Sharif was not available for comment on last weekend's crackdown.
Additionally, CHP has deployed aircraft specially equipped with thermal imaging to help the crackdown. The aircraft were originally deployed to help search for stranded hikers or drivers ejected out of their cars off the side of the freeways.
"We have been able to use it as far as looking for heat signatures in the roadway, as people are doing burnouts and people are drifting across the lanes," said CHP Captain Joe Zizi.
These planes fly much helicopters, making them less detectable from people on the ground.
"You're certainly not going to hear it in the screaming and screeching of tires," said Zizi.
In addition to thermal imaging, the planes' camera can identify a car's license plate.
"We don't need to identify the driver," said Zizi. "We can actually obtain a warrant from a judge just to see the vehicle at a later time for 30 days," said Zizi.
