Dodge Charger driver arrested for allegedly hitting spectators during illegal street grab in Anaheim

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) — A 20-year-old Torrance man was arrested for aggravated hit-and-run during an illegal street grab in Anaheim.

The video shows a A Dodge Charger drove into a group of pedestrians at the intersection, then moving several of them. Other onlookers surround the car and begin kicking it before the driver flees on foot, leaving the Charger at the scene.

Law enforcement officers arrived and found two seriously injured 19-year-old men at the scene in the middle of the street near an abandoned Charger. The teenagers, one from Lancaster and the other from Orange, were hospitalized and treated for multiple broken bones, cuts and lacerations.

The video in the player above is taken from a previous report on this incident.

The incident happened around 2 a.m. on November 1 at the intersection of State College Boulevard and Orangewood Avenue.

On Monday, Anaheim police announced the arrest of Hassan Hamid Ali, 20, of Torrance. He was found on Sunday, arrested and charged with murder and hit and run, as well as a speeding offence.

The investigation is ongoing and detectives asked anyone with information to contact the department at (714) 765-1900 or the Orange County Crime Squad at 855-TIP-OCCS.

Video of the capture shows hundreds of onlookers gathered as several cars spin, do donuts and other movements at the intersection. Some spectators also set off fireworks.

Anaheim police said fighting street gangs has its challenges.

In 2021, the city of Anaheim passed a law that targets street cheerleaders and allows enforcement actions against those who gather to watch.

The city says street hijacking is a problem, but the overall number of hijackings is on the decline.

There were about 1,700 incidents in 2020, but only about 720 this year, according to Sgt. Jacob Gallacher of the Anaheim Police Department.