Fresno police issue 68 citations in street racing crackdown

A Sunday sweep across four of Fresno’s most persistent street-racing and sideshow hot spots produced 68 citations, 12 vehicle impounds, one DUI arrest and one felony reckless-driving arrest, showing police can disrupt the activity, even if the problem keeps resurfacing.

Officers focused on Fulton Mall; South Clovis Avenue and East Tulare Avenue; North Blackstone Avenue and East Bullard Avenue; and West Herndon Avenue and North Palm Avenue. That spread put downtown Fresno, central and southeast corridors, north Fresno and northwest Fresno under the same enforcement net, a sign the risk is no longer confined to one notorious corner.

Police said four of the 12 impounded vehicles were held for 30 days, and warned that people who take part in illegal street racing or sideshows, including those who aid and abet the activity, can face the same penalty. For Fresno residents who have watched intersection takeovers endanger drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, the punishment is meant to make it harder for crews to regroup after the crowd leaves.

The crackdown fits into the Fresno Police Department’s Street Racing Enforcement Team, which has been working full-time for years as complaints mount. In August 2024, Interim Chief Mindy Casto said, “We still have 10 officers assigned full-time, two sergeants. They work seven days a week.” Casto said the unit made 450 cases the previous year and was on pace to surpass that total, after public complaints about screeching tires, intersection takeovers and fear in affected neighborhoods.

The city has also been here before. On July 7, 2025, police reported 39 traffic stops, 35 citations, seven impounded cars, six 30-day impounds, six state referee citations and one DUI in a similar operation. The repeated bursts of enforcement suggest Fresno is still testing whether concentrated sweeps can create a lasting deterrent, or whether the street-racing scene will simply shift streets and wait for the next crackdown.