Massachusetts is combating "street takeovers" with citations, arrests and millions of dollars
Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday detailed efforts to prevent "street takeovers" in Massachusetts through a combination of citations, arrests and millions of dollars in traffic safety grants.
Earlier this month, the Boston Police Department said a crowd of more than 100 people blocked traffic during a meetup in the area of Tremont Street and Mass. Ave. They allegedly attacked police cruisers with fireworks, cones, poles and other objects, torching one cruiser.
Two teenagers from Rhode Island, 18-year-old Julian Bowers and 19-year-old William Cantwell, were the only people arrested. They pleaded not guilty and were released on bail in the amount of $500 for Bowers and $1,000 for Cantwell.
Street takeovers in Massachusetts
That same weekend, Fall River police arrested five people between the ages of 19 and 22 after a group blocked roads and did donuts with their cars during a street takeover. Similar incidents have also been reported in Randolph and Middleboro.
"Our goal is to get out in front of it. Disrupt this cycle now before we have fatalities. Before we see tragedy on our roadways," Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said.
Last week, Healey said she was directing State Police to work with local law enforcement to prevent further street takeovers.
"Not going to happen here," the governor said. "And if you do it, you're going to be punished. I'm serious."
Preventing street takeovers
The Healey administration said police have issued 232 civil citations, 74 warnings, 20 criminal summons and made seven arrests during an operation Saturday across eastern and southeastern Massachusetts. Police also towed 15 cars, made two seizures under the Controlled Substances Act and recovered one stolen car.
"We see a lot of these vehicles that aren't properly registered, they have illegal modifications to these vehicles, they have tinted windows that are illegal," Col. Noble said. "Follow the law."
The governor has called on the public to alert police if they see social media posts about potential takeovers.
"Somebody posted online, late afternoon on Saturday, come to this meetup. And that was identified by the investigative team and people were ready to deal with that," Healey said. "A little later that night, that individual was arrested."
There were no street takeovers in Massachusetts last weekend, Healey said.
"Statewide operations to deter takeovers are having an impact," she said. "We shut it down last weekend, we're going to continue to shut it down."
Healey also announced that the state is giving $14 million in safety grants from the federal government to more than 200 local police departments and 10 state agencies "to support traffic enforcement and stop illegal activity."
"Every resident of our state deserves to live in a community with a high quality of life and where public safety is assured," Healey said.
World Cup implications
On Tuesday, a reporter at the White House cited the street takeover in Boston when asking President Trump if the region should lose the seven World Cup matches that are scheduled for next year at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.
The president said "we could take them away," though Mayor Michelle Wu responded that "there's no real threat" of FIFA moving the games.
"Boston better clean up their act," Mr. Trump said. "That's all I can say."
Healey on Thursday brushed aside the president's World Cup comments.
"That's just more political theater, I don't pay it too much mind," she said.
Healey's response to the street takeovers has been criticized by her Republican challengers in the 2026 race for governor.
"The truth is, incidents like we saw in the South End the other night are becoming more and more common. And they are becoming more and more common because the bad guys know there are no consequences," candidate Brian Shortsleeve told WBZ-TV.