Dozens Of People On ATVs Race Through Stockton Streets
STOCKTON (CBS 13) — A weekend street crime crackdown in Stockton led to arrests and more than 100 citations.
Dozens of people on four-wheelers tried to flee police and were caught on camera speeding through busy streets and intersections near Pacific Avenue.
CHP said this was just the beginning of a weekend full of reckless street racing. Witnesses said they saw the ATV drivers speed through the intersection of Pacific and Fulton Avenue.
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This happened as Nick Bobson was trying to walk home.
"I got all of them on camera," Bobson said. "We were crossing the street and we came here over and they went this way...nobody really cared about the safety of anyone else," he said.
It's illegal to drive a quad or an ATV on city streets. And police said this group went way beyond that.
"There were a few riding with no helmets. They were riding in a pack of about 50. They're not really obeying the traffic laws -- they're running through red lights, running through stop signs," said CHP Officer Ruben Jones.
Officer Jones said Cinco Day Mayo is the unofficial kick-off for summer street racing season, so police were geared up and ready.
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Over the weekend, the San Joaquin County Street Racing Task Force made 13 arrests and issued more than 100 citations.
"They think it's fun, they think it's cool but it's extremely dangerous," Officer Jones said. "We're not out there to be the party poopers, we just want people to be safe and this behavior is just not safe."
Police try to prevent street racing by targeting vehicles that are more likely to participate. Officers are looking for cars that have illegal modifications that they can report to state regulators.
It's a concentrated effort, to send a clear message. Street racing puts innocent people in danger.
"You shouldn't be out there on quads street racing and getting in people's business like that it's not safe," Bobson said.