The latest crackdown on dangerous illegal street racing in San Diego County has led to the seizure of 16 souped-up cars, some that were allegedly clocked at up to 150 mph in speed contests, as well as the indictment of 21 people on conspiracy charges, officials said. The defendants were indicted by a county grand jury on suspicion of conspiring to engage in exhibitions of speed as well as engaging in illegal racing on public highways. Twenty people named in the indictment have been arrested, while one remained at large as of Wednesday, officials said. Most were arraigned in Superior Court this week. The charges come as local law enforcement agencies work together to combat illegal speeding and street racing, which have been blamed for a number of fatal crashes in the region in recent years. The drivers are accused of engaging in racing performances for “thrill, competition, bragging rights and purposes of gaining social media fame.” “Racing down our freeways at extremely hazardous speeds with reckless disregard for other drivers and families sharing the roadways is a recipe for a catastrophe,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a news release. “This indictment is a warning to anyone even thinking of engaging in a speed contest that this illegal behavior will not be tolerated and you will be held accountable.” Over six days, members of the grand jury heard testimony about five separate incidents of racing that occurred in March on Interstates 8, 805 and 15, as well as on state Route 94 and on mountain roads through Pauma Valley. The indictment was handed down in mid-December, a District Attorney’s Office spokesperson said. The District Attorney’s Office said defendants communicated through social media to meet up at locations where they “showcased their high-performance vehicles,” executed doughnuts and burnouts, and “conspired to engage in acts of speed exhibition on freeways.” Many of the vehicles were modified, sometimes illegally, to enhance their racing performance, officials said. Some defendants are accused of reaching speeds exceeding 100 mph — and, on some occasions, in excess of 150 to 160 mph. In recent years, law enforcement officials have sought to combat illegal racing and unsafe driving with increased enforcement. San Diego police noted an uptick in illegal street racing during the pandemic. By 2024, police said street racing events were becoming more dangerous and often spurred other crimes like gun sales and gambling. “It’s not just going to be their criminal behavior of doing doughnuts or street racing,” a detective sergeant told the Union-Tribune in 2024. “We see things like civil unrest, fireworks, gambling, registration fraud, insurance fraud and court fraud.” At the time, police sought more resources for targeted enforcement and to revive a 2003 city ordinance that had allowed the city to seize cars involved in street racing and to arrest spectators. In July, police announced they had secured a court order to crush and destroy two cars, an impounded Toyota Chaser and a Yamaha R1, after the vehicles were connected to dangerous driving activities. Police said they had not sought such vehicle-destruction orders for more than 20 years but were reviving and publicizing the practice in hopes it would deter others. Law enforcement officers seized 16 vehicles in May as a result of the current investigation, including a McLaren, four variations of Dodge Chargers, a Ford Mustang, a Chevy Camaro, three Dodge Challenger Hellcats and two Jeep Grand Cherokees. As of Wednesday, all 16 remained in police impound, a District Attorney’s Office spokesperson said. The indictments followed a six-month investigation launched by the San Diego police traffic special investigations unit, along with the California Highway Patrol. Several other agencies participated in the arrests of the accused motorists, officials said. Officials warn that street racing, with drivers darting through and around traffic without regard for the safety of others, can have deadly consequences. While none of the alleged racing covered by the indictment resulted in deaths, there have been at least seven fatalities on local roads since 2021 linked to illegal speed contests, including a 17-year-old boy who died after crashing into a tree while allegedly racing another driver last July in Chula Vista, and a 30-year-old jogger who died after being struck by two vehicles believed to be racing in Point Loma in December 2024. ...read more read less