Shocking videos show a group of young men in Chicago kicking and attempting to punch out the windows of a white Tesla during a frenzied street takeover, and a retired police chief says these incidents are increasingly common in the crime-ridden city.
“It represents lawlessness, and these street takeovers are happening almost every weekend,” said Tom Weitzel, a retired police chief in Riverside, Illinois, a suburb of the Windy City. “I’m sure the driver was fearful of being injured or carjacked.”
Two videos capture the Oct. 13 mayhem on E. Lower Wacker Drive. In the first clip, which was posted to X, a mob can be seen jumping and sitting on the hood of a car as other vehicles blare their horns.
The man driving the car and the woman in the passenger seat, both 33, tried to move through the tunnel at about 11:50 p.m., according to the Chicago Police Department.
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A Tesla in Chicago shown sideswiping a car as the driver tries to escape a mob attack after a street takeover Oct. 13. (@jeremytrigg/AUTO OVERLOAD/TMX)
As the Tesla inches forward, the group jumps off the sedan. Then, two men can be seen pounding their fists on the hood. Some of the men start to put ski masks on their faces.
The camera pans to two cars performing screeching donuts on the other side of the tunnel as more than 100 wild spectators look on.
The Tesla suddenly accelerates, taking advantage of the diversion to try to escape, and appears to knock a young man over as a woman shrieks.
But the Tesla, whose driver-side mirror can be seen dangling from the side of the sedan, gets trapped again several yards ahead as the mob surrounds it.
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Two men are shown using their feet and elbows to try to damage a white Tesla during a street takeover in Chicago Oct. 13. (@jeremytrigg/AUTO OVERLOAD/TMX)
A woman can be heard screaming, “F— this car up!” Another woman shouts, “What the f— bro!”
The second video starts rolling as young men kick and attempt to punch out the Tesla’s windows seconds before the vehicle reverses then accelerates, sideswiping a car as it drives toward a row of blue police lights.
Dozens of people can be seen pursuing the Tesla on foot as police officers appear.
“Hey, back up! Back up!” an officer says, allowing the car to flee. Traffic on the other side of the tunnel is shown at a standstill.
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A white Tesla caught in a street takeover in Chicago Oct. 13 is shown fleeing as cops try to disperse the crowd. (@jeremytrigg/AUTO OVERLOAD/TMX)
“There are maybe 10 to 12 police officers visible in that video, and there is no way they can handle more than 100 kids,” Weitzel told Fox News Digital. “Chicago is severely understaffed.”
The Chicago Police Department told Fox News Digital in a statement no injuries were reported, and no one has been arrested. Three detectives are investigating the incident.
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Weitzel said this street takeover was particularly worrisome because it occurred in a tunnel. He added that the city isn’t doing enough to stop the flash mobs.
“They do burnouts. The kids get wildly dangerous,” he said. “The city needs to be more aggressive in impounding vehicles and making arrests.”
Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.