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The incidents – in which groups of drivers descend upon a street to either race or do tricks – are now the target of legislation being proposed by state lawmakers that would levy stiffer penalties for violators.
If approved, the bill would give police and prosecutors enhanced tools to help crack down on reckless drivers and allow for the seizure and forfeiture of their vehicles, Republican State Sen. Anthony Palumbo said at a press conference Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Palumbo, whose 1st District represents the eastern Suffolk County locales of East Hampton, Southampton, and Riverhead, said such incidents endanger the community and obstruct emergency vehicles.
“The message is clear,” he told reporters. “This kind of dangerous behavior will not be tolerated in Suffolk County. They are terrorizing the communities.”
Palumbo’s statements followed several recent street takeovers in Suffolk County over the weekend, including in Brookhaven. Town Supervisor Dan Panico said on Facebook that police responded to multiple coordinated drifting and blocking incidents.
In one case, Route 25A was blocked near Miller Place Road for 15 minutes, preventing an ambulance from responding to an emergency call, Panico said. The ambulance was transporting a patient who was in cardiac arrest, CBS New York reports.
A spectator was hit and suffered a broken pelvis during another takeover in Patchogue, the outlet reports.
“Fortunately for everyone there are cameras at virtually every single intersection where this occurred and along the routes,” Panico said.
“Cars must be seized, fines must be increased, registrations voided, and the general sense of coddling wrongdoers must cease in NYS.”
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