‘It’s not kids being kids.’ Fresno street racing crackdown by police will continue

Authorities are vowing to continue an operation targeting speeders and street racers that was launched in Fresno after the death of four people the day after Christmas at Palm and Bullard avenues.

“Street racing is not harmless; it’s not kids being kids,” Chief Paco Balderrama said Tuesday at a news conference called to disclose a weekend crackdown in which 189 violators were cited, 44 cars were towed, 10 people were arrested for driving under the influence and two ghost guns were seized.

Police, sheriff’s deputies, California Highway Patrol officers and officials from the state Bureau of Automotive Repair hit the streets Saturday night targeting street racers, many of whom gather near Blackstone and Bullard avenues on weekends. Officers also ranged throughout the city in search of violators.

City Council member Mike Karbassi said the effort is “very personal” for him, because he grew up near the spot where 17-year-old Allie Chang, 21-year-old Linda Chang, and 27-year-old Christopher Vang died in December. The Toyota pickup they were riding in was hit by a Mustang driven by Irvin Villarreal, 18. Villarreal was fleeing from a motorcycle officer who attempted a traffic stop.

“The City Council and the mayor are very committed to ending this kind of street violence,” Karbassi said.

Dana Xiong, the mother of Allie Chang, created a petition to stop illegal racing in Fresno in the aftermath of the collision.

“I will never forget how numb I felt,” the night of the crash, she said Tuesday.

“This is our city. These are our streets.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 2:14 PM.