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Article Launched: 03/01/2007 12:00:00 AM PST
RIALTO - The constant popping sound of crushed cars and breaking glass was unmistakable.
Two Honda Civics with stolen transmissions and engines were crushed Wednesday at Ecology Auto Parts in Rialto after the cars were impounded and a judge ordered them destroyed following an illegal street race in 2006.
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Photo Gallery: Street Racing Cars Crushed
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The demolition, coordinated by the Ontario Police Department, was meant to highlight what happens when people illegally street race: They won't get their cars back.
At one time or another, the speedsters and their souped-up vehicles have descended on cities countywide, law-enforcement officials said.
Thefts have become a costly side-effect. Racers frequently steal the engines and transmissions they use or they purchase cars from auctions after the cars are stolen, stripped and have a "clean title," said San Diego police Detective Tim Coyle.
His department launched Dragnet in 2001, a program that law-enforcement agencies in San Bernardino County and elsewhere have copied as a way to cut down on street racing and auto thefts that
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support the habit.
Thefts and illegal racing happen everywhere, local authorities say.
"We have episodic incidents of car thefts," said Redlands Police Chief Jim Bueermann. "We find cars that have certain parts missing. I would not surprise me if they were going to these kinds of cars."
Several months ago, Rialto police heard of a street racing group headed their way. Officers quietly watched them and taped the race before breaking it up and citing drivers and passengers, impounding several cars and arresting nine people, said Detective Gary Cunningham.
In San Bernardino, street racers briefly created a race course along Hospitality Lane before officers began following and citing drivers for illegal equipment on the vehicles, said Lt. Scott Paterson. cq
For most cities, however, the problem is occasional or cyclical.
Ontario police, however, battle street racers with some regularity, authorities said. Through the years, the department has become an authority on the subject.
Street racing often takes place in the eastern part of Ontario along Etiwanda Avenue and Mission Boulevard and in parts of Fontana, officials said.
Data from Ontario police shows that more than 500 Acuras and Hondas are reported stolen each year, said Cpl. Jeff Higbee.
Between June 30, 2004, and July 1, 2006, Ontario police arrested 224 people in connection with illegal street racing, Higbee said. Another 822 people were arrested throughout San Bernardino County.
The San Bernardino County Regional Street Racing Task Force - which includes the Ontario, Chino, Montclair and Upland police departments, San Bernardino County sheriff`s officials from Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville, Fontana and Chino Hills, and the California Highway Patrol - is making an effort to slow down street racing.
The goal of the task force is to reduce the number of people injured or killed in street-racing collisions. The state Office of Traffic Safety funds the program through a $5 million grant that is distributed throughout the state, Coyle said.
As a result of the task force and speed bumps being installed in Ontario, street racing deaths in the city decreased from seven in 2004 to one in 2006, Higbee said.
Back at Ecology Auto Parts in Rialto on Wednesday, a yellow tractor placed the Hondas into a crushing machine. Pressure at about 1,500 pounds per square inch was used to flatten the cars, said Mark Menadier, marketing director for Ecology Auto Parts.
Staff writer Gina Tenorio contributed to this report.
Staff writer Wes Woods II can be reached by e-mail at wes.woods@dailybulletin.com, or by phone at (909) 483-9378.
RIALTO - The constant popping sound of crushed cars and breaking glass was unmistakable.
Two Honda Civics with stolen transmissions and engines were crushed Wednesday at Ecology Auto Parts in Rialto after the cars were impounded and a judge ordered them destroyed following an illegal street race in 2006.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photo Gallery: Street Racing Cars Crushed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The demolition, coordinated by the Ontario Police Department, was meant to highlight what happens when people illegally street race: They won't get their cars back.
At one time or another, the speedsters and their souped-up vehicles have descended on cities countywide, law-enforcement officials said.
Thefts have become a costly side-effect. Racers frequently steal the engines and transmissions they use or they purchase cars from auctions after the cars are stolen, stripped and have a "clean title," said San Diego police Detective Tim Coyle.
His department launched Dragnet in 2001, a program that law-enforcement agencies in San Bernardino County and elsewhere have copied as a way to cut down on street racing and auto thefts that
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
support the habit.
Thefts and illegal racing happen everywhere, local authorities say.
"We have episodic incidents of car thefts," said Redlands Police Chief Jim Bueermann. "We find cars that have certain parts missing. I would not surprise me if they were going to these kinds of cars."
Several months ago, Rialto police heard of a street racing group headed their way. Officers quietly watched them and taped the race before breaking it up and citing drivers and passengers, impounding several cars and arresting nine people, said Detective Gary Cunningham.
In San Bernardino, street racers briefly created a race course along Hospitality Lane before officers began following and citing drivers for illegal equipment on the vehicles, said Lt. Scott Paterson. cq
For most cities, however, the problem is occasional or cyclical.
Ontario police, however, battle street racers with some regularity, authorities said. Through the years, the department has become an authority on the subject.
Street racing often takes place in the eastern part of Ontario along Etiwanda Avenue and Mission Boulevard and in parts of Fontana, officials said.
Data from Ontario police shows that more than 500 Acuras and Hondas are reported stolen each year, said Cpl. Jeff Higbee.
Between June 30, 2004, and July 1, 2006, Ontario police arrested 224 people in connection with illegal street racing, Higbee said. Another 822 people were arrested throughout San Bernardino County.
The San Bernardino County Regional Street Racing Task Force - which includes the Ontario, Chino, Montclair and Upland police departments, San Bernardino County sheriff`s officials from Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville, Fontana and Chino Hills, and the California Highway Patrol - is making an effort to slow down street racing.
The goal of the task force is to reduce the number of people injured or killed in street-racing collisions. The state Office of Traffic Safety funds the program through a $5 million grant that is distributed throughout the state, Coyle said.
As a result of the task force and speed bumps being installed in Ontario, street racing deaths in the city decreased from seven in 2004 to one in 2006, Higbee said.
Back at Ecology Auto Parts in Rialto on Wednesday, a yellow tractor placed the Hondas into a crushing machine. Pressure at about 1,500 pounds per square inch was used to flatten the cars, said Mark Menadier, marketing director for Ecology Auto Parts.
Staff writer Gina Tenorio contributed to this report.
Staff writer Wes Woods II can be reached by e-mail at wes.woods@dailybulletin.com, or by phone at (909) 483-9378.
