Officials move to stamp out street racing vehicles

[eijikikimaru]

Charles Hoang winced when the whoosh went out fo the tires. Daniel Maldonado took pictures with a digital camera as glass exploded and rained down.

The two teenagesrs didn't know each other, but they shared a common grief as they stood under the sweltering sun Wednesday in Rialto, watching helplessly as the cars they had so meticulously souped up and tricked out were crushed and turned into metal pancakes as art of a crackdown on illegal street racing

"Theat's my heart, my dream," said a visibly upset Hoang, 18, of Chino, who was surrounded by friends as his '98 Integra was put into a compactor. "That's my girlfriend, the love of my life."

Six vehicles were destroyed at an auto graveyard as officials ramped up enforcement against street racing, which has been responsible for or suspected in 13 deaths in So. Cal since March

Want more? This was straight from the papers
Paper: LA Times
Section: California
Page: B5