>> KSAT EXPLAINS IS UP NEXT. >> SO. IT’S AGAINST THE LAW. AND WHEN
IT HAPPENS, IT CAN TURN DEADLY.
OUR NEWEST EPISODE OF KSAT
EXPLAINS IS ALL FOCUSED ON
ILLEGAL STREET RACING IN SAN
ANTONIO. A VIEWER SENT US A
QUESTION ASKING WHAT’S BEING
DONE TO STOP IT.
>> FROM CHANGES IN STATE LAW TO
A LOCAL EFFORT TO CRACK DOWN ON
PEOPLE WHO PROMOTE STREET
RACING. HERE’S KSAT EXPLAINS.
IT HAPPENS IN SAN ANTONIO TIME
AND TIME AGAIN. THERE WERE
DOZENS OF CARS THAT WERE
BLOCKING OFF THE ROADS HERE.
STREET RACING DOWN THE ROAD
HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
>> 2 CARS.
>> WOOD DRIVEN RIGHT THROUGH
THEIR HOMES, WALL AND INTO
THEIR LIVING ROOM. DON’T THINK
ABOUT THE INNOCENT PEOPLE IS
DRIVING ALONG THESE ROADS.
WE FIRST MET LARRY WILSON LAST
FALL. HE LIVED AROUND THE
CORNER FROM THIS SCENE ON THE
8,000 BLOCK OF PRUE ROAD WHERE
STREET RACING TURNED DEADLY.
A CAR WAS COMING OVER A HILL AS
2 OTHERS, A BMW AND A MERCEDES
WERE RACING SIDE-BY-SIDE.
THE DRIVER OF THE 3RD CAR NOT
INVOLVED IN THE RACE WAS HIT
HEAD ON AND KILLED. COME EASY.
ONE OF US, YOU KNOW, COMING
HOME, YOU KNOW, FROM WORK ON
THE STORE AND JUST COMING UP
THE HILL, IT’S NOT A VIDEO
GAME. THERE’S NO RESET AND
STORM BRING SOMEONE BACK.
WILSON HAS EXPERIENCE WITH
THESE INCIDENTS AS BOTH THE
NEIGHBOR AND A FORMER DPS
TROOPER.
WORKS. IT CAN BE A CHALLENGE
FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT TO TACKLE
SOME OF IT IS SPONTANEOUS ONE
GUY READ HIS ENGINE AND
MERCEDES AND MOST LIKELY THE
OTHER GUY PROGRESS IS DUE BACK
IN THE RACE IS ON.
>> THESE EVENTS, WE ARE
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
THEY’RE DANGEROUS TO THE
MOTORING PUBLIC TO DANGEROUS
TO PEOPLE WHO MAY IN THE
PARKING LOT WITH THEIR WITH
THEIR WITH THEIR GATHERING.
AND DOING THEIR THEIR FOR
NATIONAL, THAT IT’S THOSE KINDS
OF EVENTS PARKING LOT OR
INTERSECTION TAKEOVERS BY
DRIVERS THAT SO OFTEN SPREAD ON
SOCIAL MEDIA.
>> THEY GET A FAST FOLLOWING
DRAWING HUGE CROWDS ADDING FUEL
TO THE POTENTIAL FOR PEOPLE
TO GET HURT. STREET RACING HAS
BEEN AROUND SINCE CARS HAVE
BEEN AROUND. LET’S BE HONEST.
THIS IS LEVI LEWIS AND HE’S
REALLY INTO CARS. LEVI LEWIS
ARM PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF
ALAMO CITY. LOOK PARK. THAT’S
AN AUTO ENTHUSIAST GROUP HE
FOUNDED IN 2007. HE DOESN’T
CALL IT A CAR CLUB. IT IS GUILT
BY ASSOCIATION WHEN A LOT OF
PEOPLE HERE CAR CLUB, THEY GET
A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION YOU’RE
THE GUYS ARE DOING THIS STUPID
STUFF. WHAT THEY DO IS SHOW OFF
THEIR CARS. THERE’S A LAW
SCHOOL CARS HERE TONIGHT.
LET’S BE HONEST, ORGANIZED
CHARITY EVENTS AND PROMOTE SAFE
DRIVING, ESPECIALLY A FAST
CARS.
>> IT’S A MISSION THAT’S
BECOMING MORE CHALLENGING.
SO WHAT’S DRIVING ILLEGAL
STREET RACING LEVI THINKS IT’S
A COMBINATION OF THINGS REALLY
BE OBTAIN ABILITY OF CARS.
A FAST CARS HAS BECOME EASIER
AND CHEAPER FOR A YOUNGER
GENERATION.
>> I MEAN, YOU CAN GET INTO ONE
OF THE LOW AGAIN, CHARGERS FOR.
29, $30,000 TO FOR THAT AND ON
THE USED MARKET, YOU CAN EVEN
LOOK AT A CHEAPER. AND SO
YOU’RE SEEING MORE MORE YOUNGER
PEOPLE GETTING A HOLD OF THEM.
>> AND THEN GOING OUT AND
ACTING UP. THEN YOU ADD IN
SOCIAL MEDIA, THE ABILITY OF
ONE POST TO BE SEEN BY
THOUSANDS.
>> I KIND OF EQUATE THAT BACK
TO THE I WANT TO BE
INSTA, FAMOUS SAYING THAT
DRIVES THE STREET TAKEOVERS IN
THE PARKING LOT. BURNOUTS.
YOU SEE EVERY VIDEO THAT’S EVER
BEEN PUT OUT THERE.
>> AND THE CROWDS ALL GOT THEIR
PHONES OUT. THEIR VIDEO IN YOUR
STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS ARE
NOTICING THE PROBLEM AS WELL.
NEW STATE LAWS PASSED IN 2021.
SHIFT ILLEGAL STREET RACING
FROM A CLASS B MISDEMEANOR.
>> TO A CLASS, A MISDEMEANOR
AND ALLOW LAW ENFORCEMENT TO
CONFISCATE CARS INVOLVED.
WE MADE SOME SIGNIFICANT
ARRESTS.
>> AND WE’VE BEEN POUNDED A
NUMBER OF VEHICLES. AND I THINK
THE FOLKS WHO WERE
INVOLVED IN THIS AND I THINK
THEY REPEAT. OFFENDERS. I THINK
THE DAY WE’VE GOT THE MESSAGE.
>> FROM SEPTEMBER 2020 TO
OCTOBER 2021, SAN ANTONIO
POLICE RESPONDED TO 213 REPORTS
OF STREET RACING 276 CITATIONS
WERE HANDED OUT AND 116 ARRESTS
WERE MADE RACING SEEMS TO REV
UP HERE LAST FALL. SO SAPD
STEPPED UP ENFORCEMENT MORE
RECENTLY FROM OCTOBER 2021.
TO APRIL FIRST OF THIS YEAR,
SAN ANTONIO POLICE RESPONDED
TO 27 REPORTS OF STREET RACING
AND MADE 30 ARRESTS. 27 CARS
WERE IMPOUNDED. BUT WHAT ABOUT
THOSE WHO HELP PROMOTE ILLEGAL
STREET RACING? THE CITY MAY
HAVE ITS OWN ANSWER. THERE’S A
PROPOSED ORDINANCE ON THE TABLE
THIS MORNING TO ADDRESSING THE
TYPE OF STREET PAINTING WHERE
LARGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE GATHER
AT TO WATCH THE THINK MELISSA
CABELLO HAVRDA OUT THE CITY
COUNCIL MEMBER REPRESENTING
DISTRICT 6 IS THE CHAIR OF THE
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE WHICH
PASSED THIS ORDINANCE ON TO THE
FULL CITY COUNCIL. WE THINK OF
OUR NEWER PHENOMENON OF PEOPLE.
>> PROMOTING AT THIS ACTIVITIES
ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SAY, HEY,
THERE’S GOING TO BE A RATE
HERE, COME WATCH AN AND IT’S
GETTING MORE POPULARITY, WHICH
IN TURN IS GOING TO INCREASE
THE AMOUNT OF TREATMENT.
AND EVEN THOUGH THAT’S ALREADY
ILLEGAL AND NOW IT’S GOING TO
BE UNLAWFUL TO. WELL, YOU KNOW,
IF IT PASSES THAT WENT TO FULL
COUNCIL WILL BE A MODEL FROM
THOSE THAT THAT BEHAVIOR BY CAN
BE ATTENDING COULD GET YOU A
CITATION. BUT THE IDEA OF
PARALYZING SPECTATORS HAS BEEN
MET WITH PUSHBACK BY THOSE WHO
QUESTION HOW LAW ENFORCEMENT
CAN DISTINGUISH PEOPLE WHO ARE
PROMOTING OR INTENTIONALLY
WATCHING SOMETHING ILLEGAL FOR
SAYS THOSE WHO WERE NOT I HAVE
WALKED OUT OF THE TARGETED
WALKING BACK TO MY CAR WITH MY
DAD AND THINK THAT IT HAPPENED.
>> SO WEST THROUGH THE VENT ME
FROM GETTING THEM IN TROUBLE.
YOU KNOW, FROM THAT IT THAT
THE PICTURES MEAN THAT THERE’S
A CLEAR DISTINCTION THAT PEOPLE
THAT ARE SHOWING UP WITH AND
MAYBE EVEN, YOU KNOW, I JUST
KIND OF THEIR DAY TO HAVE A
PARTY IN A WAY, RIGHT? AND
PEOPLE ARE WALKING OUT WITH
THEIR BAGS TO CHILDREN. THE
COUNCIL WOMAN SAYS SHE STILL
HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT MAKING THAT
DISTINCTION AND EXPECTS THAT TO
BE DISCUSSED WITH THE FULL CITY
COUNCIL CONSIDERS THIS
ORDINANCE THIS SUMMER.
>> WELL, THERE’S A KEY SOLUTION
THAT STILL MISSING IN SAN
ANTONIO, A SAFE PLACE TO RACE.
>> IN THE FALL OF 2021, SAPD
TEAMED UP WITH ALAMO CITY
MOTORPLEX AN AREA TO ENCOURAGE
RACING ON THE TRACK.
>> IN A SAFER CONTROLLED
ENVIRONMENT. BUT THEN THAT IDEA
CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT WHEN
THE TRACK SHUT DOWN. WE NEED
SOMETHING IN THE 7TH LARGEST
CITY IN AMERICA TO HAVE.
>> A SAFE PLACE FOR USED TO GO.
SO YES, CABELLO HAVRDA SAYS
IT’S WORTH HAVING A
CONVERSATION ABOUT WHETHER
TAXPAYER DOLLARS COULD BE USED
TO HELP GET A TRACK UP AND
RUNNING. IF WE CAN MAKE IT A
LITTLE BIT EASIER CARE FOR THEM
TO OFFER THIS SERVICE AND YOU
LOOK AT THE EVENT THAT THEY CAN
MAKE MONEY THEY CAN FOR
CONFESSIONS. THEY I CAN’T
IMAGINE THAT THEY HAVE TROUBLE
GETTING PEOPLE TO COMMENT YOU
KNOW, IN OUR CITY, BUT A
SOLUTION LIKE THAT TAKES TIME
AND OFTEN RED TAPE. SO WHAT CAN
BE DONE NOW TO CURB ILLEGAL RE
SICK AND POTENTIALLY SAVE LIVES
THAT?
>> IS THE QUESTION WOULD MAKE
MORE. BOTH OF US. YOU KNOW,
MILLIONAIRES, I SAY THE EMBRACE
AND COMMUNICATION FROM THE
PAUSE, THE PART OF THE CAR
COMMUNITY. AND HELPING EDUCATE
THE YOUTH SHOWING THEM WHAT
CAN BE DONE.
AND IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT AND
WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO TO
PROVE YOUR VALUE OR YOUR WORTH.
>> I THINK IS
A PORTION OF THE SOLUTION.
IS SOMEONE EGG YOU ON THE TRUMP
GET YOU TO RAISE?
>> KNOW YOUR WORTH. AND JUST
THAT THE MOVE ON ABOUT THEIR
BUSINESS AND YOU GO THE OTHER
WAY. THESE ROADS FORGIVABLE.
IT’S NOT FOR RACING, HAS NOT
>> TO CHECK OUT MORE EPISODES
OF KSAT EXPLAINS SCANNED THE
QR CODE THAT YOU SEE RIGHT
HERE. THAT WILL TAKE YOU
STRAIGHT TO OUR WEBSITE WHERE
YOU CAN WATCH ANY EXPLAINS