Street racers in Austin wreaked havoc Saturday evening, throwing fireworks at police vehicles as onlookers reached out to the dispatch centers only to find themselves on hold for nearly a half hour.
According to officials with the Austin Police Department, several police vehicles were damaged as takeover attendees pushed back and threw fireworks during what officials have described as a ‘street racing incident.’
At least one police officer was injured and multiple people caught on fire while a vehicle performed donuts during the incident in the city’s downtown area.
The event has now sparked outrage from citizens, with local Council Member Alison Alter telling the Austin American-Statesman that she ended up on hold for 28 minutes after stumbling upon the takeover.
The average hold time for a 911 call in Austin was two and a half minutes, according to reports from in October – because of a lack of staffing.
The street racers – doing donuts – caused flames on the streets, which in turn sent people running as their clothes caught alight in Austin
In one clip, street takeover attendees are seen on fire after a vehicle does donuts and sets fire to onlookers
In a statement released on their social media pages, police officials said the matter is still under investigation at this time.
‘Lawbreaking in this manner will result in enforcement and arrest. Our community’s safety is the #1 priority for APD,’ the department said.
One video of the takeover posted on Twitter Saturday evening shows people pushing back against a patrol vehicle and hitting the hood of the car.
Sirens wail as the group use their arms and signs to push the car back.
The Twitter who posted the video said the group ‘didn’t like when the police ended’ their takeover and ‘decided to push back.’
The video has been viewed 5.2 million times on the social media app.
A massive crowd is seen gathering and pushing back on the Austin Police cruiser
Onlookers frantically ran out of the way of the burning streets in Austin over the weekend. Cops say that one officer was injured during the ordeal
Another clip of the takeover shows a closer look at the unruly crowd as they perform donuts in a pickup truck as fire on the ground rages.
At one point, several individuals are set on fire and run for safety, ripping off their clothes, still on fire.
Fireworks are set off in another video from the incident documenting the ‘chaos.’
Several cars perform donuts in the middle of the busy intersection as dozens of cars are seen waiting at the light.
The takeover was one of ‘a number’ that Austin Police are investigating at this time.
The Austin Police Association blamed local lawmakers for the ‘chaos’ and said they ‘failed to make the right decisions & continue to defund, destroy, & demoralize public safety.’
In a statement released on their social media pages, police officials said the matter is still under investigation at this time
The crowd uses their fists and signs to push the patrol vehicle back out of the way
The patrol vehicle is pushed back repeatedly by the group as they fought against the end of the takeover
In another video, fireworks are seen going off at the scene
Videos reached Texas lawmakers who spoke out on the incident and called for action to be taken to stop the dangerous activities and
State Rep. Jeff Leach, a Republican, said police in the area are ‘undervalued, underpaid and under attack.’
‘I apologize to the APD officers who have to put up with this crap, only to have city leaders play games with your contract,’ said Republican Rep. Chip Roy.
‘Imagine for a moment that the incidents last night happened with large scale events going on,’ Council member Mackenzie Kelly said Sunday.
‘The possibility of a catastrophic cascading failure due to lack of support from our police department puts the city, its residents, and visitors at risk of danger,’ Kelly continued.
DailyMail.com reached out to the Austin Police Department for more information on the incident, the condition of the officer who was injured, and the arrests but did not hear back by the time of publication.
