Seattle looking to crack down on street racing takeovers

SEATTLE — In recent months, the city of Seattle has seen its fair share of street racing events and takeovers, including the one in Lower Queen Anne where hundreds of people took over Elliot and Western Avenue W and did donuts around a Seattle Police Cruiser.

In June, dozens more took over the corner of Southwest Alaska Street and 42nd Avenue Southwest in West Seattle.

During Tuesday’s Public Safety Commission meeting, City Attorney Ann Davison presented her legislation that would potentially deter it.

Davison proposed the idea last week where if someone is caught during a street takeover, the owner of the car would get a $500 fine. The measure would also make street racing or street takeovers a gross misdemeanor in the city of Seattle, punishable with nearly a year of jail time and a $5,000 fine.

“I don’t think any municipality wants to be the destination on where this activity takes place,” Davison said.

During Tuesday’s meeting, we got a glimpse of the dashcam video of the street takeover in Queen Anne back in May. Davison believes this is what needs to be done to have safer streets.

“Our roadways are supposed to be for everyone and when people take them over in this dangerous type of a way, that’s when us as a whole…the public as a whole needs to say that’s not ok,” Davison said.

Public Safety Chair Robert Kettle echoed Davison’s idea because he believes cracking on this sort of crime could have a positive ripple effect.

“Again, we cannot allow this and all of these things I have talked about in terms of the health and quality of life impacts, the noise pollution impacts, the traffic and pedestrian safety,” Kettle said.

City leaders aren’t the only ones fed up, so is the public. Teri McClain was a witness to the Lower Queen Anne takeover in May. She says she couldn’t believe what she saw, especially when a person did donuts around the SPD cruiser then kicked it.

“That was a disgrace to me. Because the minute someone would’ve got hit or killed, all of these people would’ve ran off like rats,” McClain said.

McClain hopes the city is serious about addressing street racing takeovers and hopes that this will lead Seattle in the right direction.

“Because there’s so many other issues that we need to put money and energy to…to solve them here in Seattle,” McClain said.

As for when this could be voted on by the City Council, Kettle says they will go over it again during the next safety commission meeting. The Council could vote on the measure in early July.

©2024 Cox Media Group