Police prepare for ‘street takeovers’ as warmer weather arrives

SIMSBURY, Conn. (WFSB) - Police are keeping a close eye on the streets as the weather gets warm.

They are monitoring a growing trend called ‘street takeovers’, when a large group of cars, ATVS, and motorcycles block intersections and wreak havoc on public roads.

These ‘Street takeover’ groups have hit towns like Wethersfield in the past. More recently, a group  of 200 cars drove through Windsor, Bloomfield, and Simsbury, revving engines and doing donuts.

This all happened Friday night around 11:30 p.m. at Simsbury High School.

Neighbors say they are used to high school hijinks, but what happened Friday night was a first for them.

“All of a sudden we heard all of this noise across the street,” says John Constantine, a resident who lives near the school.

Simsbury Police tried to stop the cars twice, but the caravan kept driving.

Retired police officer and long-time Simsbury resident David Driscoll, says this type of takeover can be difficult for officers to stop in the moment.

He says stop strips are not a one-size-fits-all solution.

“Not applicable in a situation where you have that many cars. They’re just not designed that way. They’re designed more for if you’re chasing a car. The police would have to know ahead of time that this was going on,” says Driscoll.

Simsbury police are asking anyone who sees reckless driving to call the department.

Copyright 2023 WFSB. All rights reserved.