Denver police make 7 arrests, impound 5 cars after street takeovers on Sunday

Denver residents living near East 10th Avenue and North Broadway are calling for stronger action after a street takeover blocked the intersection Sunday night, with drivers performing donuts, fireworks bursting overhead and traffic unable to move through. Denver police said the activity began around 10:40 p.m. and ended before officers arrived, but the department later reported seven arrests, five impounded vehicles and three citations connected to its Sunday operation. Police cautioned that not every arrest was tied directly to the takeover at 10th and Broadway.

The incident brought the risks of street takeovers into a neighborhood where people live, travel and expect roads to remain passable. Video from Sunday showed cars occupying the intersection while spectators and other motorists gathered around the activity. Tires squealed, engines revved and fireworks were set off as vehicles circled the roadway. Drivers trying to get through responded with repeated honking, creating another layer of noise and confusion in an already volatile scene.

Micaiah Lambright, who lives near the intersection, said the noise became overwhelming at about 10:30 p.m. He said the honking made it clear that motorists were caught at several corners and could not easily leave. Lambright said residents had heard about similar gatherings in other parts of Denver, but Sunday’s event was the first one he had experienced so close to his home.

For Lambright, the location raised concerns about the direction of Denver’s downtown neighborhoods. He said the events appear to be moving closer to downtown and described the activity as a challenge to the city’s ability to keep streets safe. If the mayor wants the downtown and metro area to function increasingly as a residential district, Lambright said, residents need streets that operate like those in any other neighborhood, rather than places where groups can take over an intersection at night.

The Sunday gathering was not an isolated event. A separate takeover occurred at Broadway and Mississippi earlier this month, while another was reported on Federal Boulevard in July. The repeated incidents have increased pressure on city officials and police to develop a response that can prevent groups from assembling, control activity when it begins and hold participants accountable after they leave.

Denver police said its Street Racing Enforcement Team responded to the 10th and Broadway call, but the vehicles departed as officers reached the area. The department described takeovers as fast-moving incidents that require coordination and investigative work after the fact. In its Wednesday update, police said the team’s enforcement effort had resulted in seven arrests, five impounded cars and three citations, although the department did not say how many of those actions stemmed specifically from Sunday’s intersection takeover.

The team is not assigned to patrol every night. According to a department spokesperson, it consists of a supervisor and officers drawn from several districts. Police schedule operations based on the days and times when street racing and takeover activity has historically been most common. During those operations, officers conduct proactive patrols in parking lots, on roads and along highways where similar activity has been reported.

The department’s broader enforcement figures show the scale of the problem it is addressing. Through the beginning of August, Denver police said they had made at least 59 arrests, impounded 44 vehicles and issued 289 citations related to street racing and speed exhibition during the year. Those numbers include enforcement beyond the 10th and Broadway incident. Police have not said what additional operations or investigations will follow Sunday’s takeover.

State lawmakers have also tried to address the issue. State Representative Chad Clifford, a Democrat who represents Arapahoe County, sponsored legislation last session with Representative Chris Richardson, a Republican from the Eastern Plains. The proposal would have created progressively tougher penalties for stunt driving and classified participation in a coordinated street takeover as a Class 6 felony. It also called for fines, license suspensions and possible vehicle impoundments.

The bill failed in committee after lawmakers raised concerns that its definitions were too broad and could potentially sweep in cultural groups such as lowriders. Clifford rejected that concern, saying the proposal was aimed at coordinated street takeovers and that available prosecution data did not point primarily to those groups. He acknowledged that harsher penalties are not always sufficient, but argued that escalating consequences can improve traffic safety. Clifford expects a revised version of the legislation to return during the next session, while residents near 10th and Broadway continue to deal with the immediate disruption of events that can disappear before police arrive.