Police Raid Car Enthusiast Meet for Revenue...

[chinsterr]

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/04/police-raid-california-car-enthusiast-gathering-to-generate-reve/

It isn't uncommon for automotive enthusiast groups to organize gatherings in large commercial parking lots. Quite often the local businesses even support the groups due to increased sales generated by the crowds. Such is apparently not the case in Riverside, California. The city believes large automotive-focused get togethers promote street racing and that must also be the purpose of any vehicle equipped with performance modifications. To quell the situation, last Friday night around 11PM, police surprised 150 vehicles and their owners during a meet at Canyon Crossing shopping center. Fifty police cruisers from Riverside County, Irwindale, Ontario and a few other regions were paid overtime to block off parking lot exits and issue citations. Tickets were written for illegal modifications, paperwork violations, window tint and having no front license plate. Twenty vehicles were even impounded due to suspected stolen parts.

The funds for the crackdown, and others like it, get drained from the California state gas tax account. Typically the gas tax goes towards transportation maintenance and improvements, like better roads and public transport. Rather than put all the money into aiding traffic flow, California's math calculations have determined that more revenue can be generated by handing out fix-it tickets with increased frequency. Of course, that is as long as the violation fares are more than law enforcement overtime expenses. Even still, most likely a few folks will fight their citations and thus drain more funds from the state government through the legislative process. Thanks for the tip everyone!


Hope this doesn't start happening in Toronto.

[Garu]

I wouldn't be surprised we raided in our next meet. :chuckle

[WLS ZMZM]

I sadly think its going to start, if you ever head out to Martin Grove & Hwy 7 on friday or saturday nights, there are alot of police out in that area. Of course it's alot of the ricers there but they usually hang around to hand out tickets and kick people out of the timmies there. I guess only time will really tell

[Fuman]

I don't think we ever had a problem (as far as TM3) goes.
I remember someone say police drop by and chilled with us (its either us or TOP)

I hope it stays that way

[Unoriginalusername]

mcsquinty is in love with cali auto laws.... its only a matter of time

[WLS ZMZM]

We should be okay... since all of the cars that hang out are streetlegal... and it also helps that we are older and more mature and dont reve our engines or burn out in parking lots

[chinsterr]

I sadly think its going to start, if you ever head out to Martin Grove & Hwy 7 on friday or saturday nights, there are alot of police out in that area. Of course it's alot of the ricers there but they usually hang around to hand out tickets and kick people out of the timmies there. I guess only time will really tell

Keep in mind that the average age of the people at HWY and Grove is probably around 19

[WLS ZMZM]

true enough... but being young doesn't mean you have to be an idiot

[sauga_kid]

Personally, I think this I retarded, having spent some time in cali I know for sure that if the police concerned themselves with ticketing for tints and the lack of a front plate, they wouldn't have time for anything else. Assuming that this "meet" took place somewhere near Ontario according to the regions listed, it is pretty well known that street races do occur quite ofter in the area so there may have been some validity to this raid. The blog doesn't give too many specifics so its hard to tell but I am in agreement with everyone else, I hope that this doesn't happen here and as long as our meets avoid drawing negative attention, TM3 should be fine.

[Noisy Crow]

If the cars were on private property then the cops would have no basis for charging these guys with anything other than trespassing.

[WhiteSpeed3]

I sadly think its going to start, if you ever head out to Martin Grove & Hwy 7 on friday or saturday nights, there are alot of police out in that area. Of course it's alot of the ricers there but they usually hang around to hand out tickets and kick people out of the timmies there. I guess only time will really tell



i live near martin grove and 7 i know exactly wat ur talking about

[RallyPlaya]

Well i was raided by 7 Cop Cars on a CAI install... they thought i was smugging drugs or stealing the car..... i left them all feeling stupid =)

[Noisy Crow]

Well i was raided by 7 Cop Cars on a CAI install... they thought i was smugging drugs or stealing the car..... i left them all feeling stupid =)

You can't just leave it that!

[RallyPlaya]

I Was With Mcgyver doing the install thing we were almost done the install and all of a sudden 7 cop car zoom in from all sides blocking off all the exits.. we were in a underground p lot BTW.... i was surprised as hell..... and of all days i left my licence at home that day lol all they asked for was id from everyone i gave my healthcard and after a lot of searching found the ownership .... then they chkd my criminal records..... which are clean and they left without a word ... and then we just cracked a few jokes about cops .... basically the full out story of what happene3d

[WLS ZMZM]

hahah mcguyver told me about this story while he was installing my cai at his house... tooo funny..... as for not getting tickets while on private property your wrong.... as long as they have cause... i.e. illegal modifications or possible illegal modifications.. they have the right to search the vehicle. If you try and hold them on this technicality they will wait for you to hit the street and then your gonna get screwed that much harder.

Believe me happened to myself and a few buddies... at Marty and 7 about 3 years ago. We were just hanging out... 2 squad cars pull up and accuse of street racing as they got a report of a red civic and a gray civic racing across 7.... well congratulations you just named half the civics in woodbridge.

They then proceeded to say we were described by the hats we were wearing and my buddies tattoos... like BS... if I was racing how could you see my hat?
Regardless it resulted in popping the hoods.... I got like 4 tickets, one for improper rear license plate cover, being too low, improper intake and improper signal lights, my buddy was accused of having stolen rims, having unsafe tires (too low a profile....) improper exhaust, and improper rear license plate cover.

after popping my friends newere civics hood we were told thats how these rice s**t boxes should be stock.. meanwhile my friend had no intake at all on his car we removed it to install the new one he bought but didnt get a chance to put it on so he was running with an open throttle body lmao.

After being given the tickets we were intimidated by the police after I argued with them, that if we were to fight the tickets they would make our lives a living hell to which we were told to stop wasting our money and buy a real car like a fiero.... or an older muscle car... to which me being pissed at this point saying "sorry I don't drive white trash ferrari's" of course that resulted in the cop coming back and screaming at me.

So after this little show in the lot, we went straight to the local office where these two officers worked filed reports and explained to the head officer that we were all street legal vehicles, to which we were given appts to go see a local mechanic to inspect the cars of course after inspection all the tickets were thrown out and we filed complaints against both officers.

[RallyPlaya]

Wow thats a crazy story..... theres alwayz the prick cops ... some cops are cool though one time i was blasting some Nas Windows down and i nodded my head to the cops beside me and they nodded bak with a smile my bud in the passenger seat was really surprised.... so far ive never been pulled over even though my windows are pitch black @ night and my exhaust is noticable... im clean 4 now

[Effin Itai]

At all 3 Tims along Hwy. 7 between (Weston and Martingrove) there have been raids from York region. Some cops don't even know about the mods. but try to hassel us. Unfortunately, you have to stay away from those locations on weekends during the summer. Especailly at the Martingrove & Hwy 7 Tims.

[WhiteSpeed3]

i got a ticket coming out of the marty and 7 tims for the exhaust on my old 3

come to think of it when i stop by that tims i never see anyone in that lives in woodbridge there

and when i meet ppl that live out of woodbridge they always tell me there at marty and 7 every friday and saturday

[WLS ZMZM]

yep so sad and so true... its just funny when the police try to give you a rough time when they have no idea what they are looking for.. I mena accusing my friend of having stolen rims??? give me a break hahahaha

[3GFX]

That story sucks, but it happens. Just make sure you do your car right and obey the laws and you're good to go. Its shame they do this though. No harm in a parked car.

[Fuman]

removed link, oops pasted this in the wrong thread.