Five people have been arrested during an attempted street takeover involving nearly 100 ATVs in Hartford, Connecticut.
Officers received a number of complaints about a number of ATVs ‘causing hazardous conditions’ around 6 pm on Saturday evening.
Five group members were taken into custody by the police, who also reportedly found and recovered a weapon, four ATVs, and one towed vehicle.
Street takeovers involve rowdy crowds of people blocking roadways, disrupting traffic, or in some cases illegal street races.
Five people were arrested during an attempted street takeover involving 100 ATVs in Hartford, Connecticut
Two suspects of the five suspects have been identified by police. Weslye Santiago, 26, of New Britain (left) and Angel Figuera (right)
Around 100 people were using all-terrain vehicles dangerously and causing dangerous conditions on the roadways on Saturday, according to the police
Police were able to divert the crowds to different parts of the city, where they subsequently apprehended the drivers.
Two suspects of the five suspects have been identified by police.
Both suspects were transferred to the Hartford Police Detention Facility where they were processed and charged.
Weslye Santiago, 26, of New Britain, was charged with reckless driving, prohibited operations and interfering with an officer, according to police.
Angel Figuera, 33, of Manchester, was charged with reckless driving, driving an unregistered motor vehicle, misuse of license plates and having weapons in a motor vehicle, police said.
Per the police, the ATVs were towed to the Hartford police impound lot.
The origins of how the street takeover came to be or how it was organized are unknown. Four ATVs and a gun were recovered by police.
With warmer weather approaching, police say street takeovers will become more frequent.
Police were able to divert the crowds to different parts of the city, where they subsequently apprehended the drivers
Police urge those caught in a street takeover to not confront the crowd. Rather, they suggest you turn around and find an alternate route
Jerry Williams, a Hartford transplant originally from California, told Fox 61 that street takeovers are an issue nationwide.
‘Out there they call it the side show, where they’ll just take over an intersection and a street and even sometimes the highway,’ said Williams. ‘So when I come out here cross country to see the same thing, I’m like ‘oh here we go again.”
Williams said he’s been caught in the middle of a street takeover before in Hartford.
‘I’ve been caught in traffic a few times and it’s just hard to see because you see these young folks out there being reckless and you know, if they keep doing what they’re doing, it could end up very bad for them,’ said Williams.
‘I’m hoping that people that are a part of this will one day wise up and say ‘we need to stop this.’
Police urge those caught in a street takeover to not confront the crowd. Rather, they suggest you turn around and find an alternate route.