Neighbors in Hollywood are waking up in the middle of the night to the noise of stunt driving and drifting — a problem they believe doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
Drifting is when a driver intentionally oversteers with loss of traction while maintaining control of the vehicle.
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WATCH HERE“They just go in the middle of the street and they start going around drifting for a couple of minutes and every single weekend at 3 o'clock in the morning, and it's just going insane," said Rafael Cabrera, who has lived nearby for 10 years.
Cabrera said he’s had enough.
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“I work the weekend, so it's frustrating for me because once I get up at 3 o'clock, they come between 2 and 3 a.m. Once I get up, I can’t go back to sleep and I have to work weekends” Cabrera said.
The stunt driving and drifting is happening at the intersection of Sheridan Street and the entrance to West Lake Park. Cabrera lives across the street in the Ocean Club Apartments.
“They stay over there, they're loud, and it seems like they're under the influence because they start yelling and screaming," he said. "It's crazy, it's insane."
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Video also shows large crowds gathered on each side of the intersection. It makes resident Hector Ortiz nervous.
“You never know, our fence is so weak in some moment we can have an accident and we can get into our apartments," Ortiz said.
Ortiz and Cabrera said they call the cops to break it up but they think that barely seems to deter the reckless drivers.
“The first time they arrived, it was about 45 minutes after everyone called. It takes too long," Ortiz said. "The second time they arrived early, but at the end, they are here, but they are not respecting the police because they are not taking another action."
Drifting, spectating, and stunt driving are all illegal. The Hollywood Police Department issued a statement to NBC 6, saying in part, “The Hollywood Police department has been conducting high-visibility traffic enforcement to work to reduce reckless driving and stunt-driving exhibitions. Over the last several weeks, HPD has also conducted numerous operations targeting this type of driving.”
Since November, Hollywood Police performed more than 100 traffic stops, nearly 75 citations, and six arrests.
“With all the respect for Hollywood Police, they usually arrive with the sirens and lights and scare them away," Cabrera said. "I think we have to go the extra mile."
Police encourage neighbors who see drifting and stunt driving to call them using a non-emergency number.
