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Greenville County deputies arrest 80 adults at Greer street takeover
Greer, South CarolinaPublished 16 Sep 2026
Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Sheriff’s deputies broke up a late-night gathering at Locust Hill and Fairview roads on Sept. 5, charging 80 adults with aiding a street takeover under a new state law, impounding 38 vehicles and seizing 10 firearms.
Greenville County Sheriff’s Office deputies intervened about 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, at a street takeover at Locust Hill Road and Fairview Road west of Greer. They arrested 80 adults and multiple juveniles, impounded 38 vehicles, and seized 10 firearms. All of the adults were charged with aiding and abetting a street takeover under South Carolina’s Roadway Protection and Safety Act, signed in May 2026. The investigation remained open.
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Video: 80+ taken into custody during street takeover near Greenville, authorities say
Published 7 Sep 2026 accessed 16 Sep 2026
Facts
The Post and Courier said this seems to be the first major Greenville County roundup since the new law took effect.
Opinion
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Deputies arrest over 80 people in Greenville Co. after street takeover, officials say
Published 7 Sep 2026 accessed 16 Sep 2026
Facts
Investigators determined the details of the event in real time.
Neighbor Thomas Ennis said he slept through the takeover.
Ennis found scattered car parts the next day.
Neighbor Carolyn said she heard commotion while sleeping but did not think much of it then.
Opinion
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South Carolina Street Takeover Ends With 80 Arrests And 38 Cars Impounded
Published 8 Sep 2026 accessed 16 Sep 2026
Facts
Video showed another vehicle trying to get through the crowd while sounding its horn.
South Carolina defines an aider or abettor as someone who helps plan, coordinate, or physically aid a takeover.
Penalties increase for later offenses.
Opinion
No opinion marked.
80 charged under South Carolina's new street takeover law
Published 9 Sep 2026 accessed 16 Sep 2026
Facts
Those arrested were released on $3,000 surety bonds.
The charge is a misdemeanor.
Thirty-five deputies from the sheriff's violent crimes unit were used.
The charges were placed in Greenville County Summary Court.
Donahue said spectators can now be arrested and charged.
Capt. Pat Donahue said the office uses an intelligence unit to monitor social media for takeovers.
Not all names of those charged are public because of age.
Donahue said it would have been harder to arrest people for takeovers before the law.
Donahue said the sheriff's office supports lawful car events but will intervene when gatherings violate the law.
Donahue said those arrested ranged from mid-teens to mid-20s.
Charleston deputies recovered a Glock with an automatic switch and impounded a 2017 Dodge Charger.
The Hollywood case included two counts of violating the state’s street-takeover law.
Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie said the county will not tolerate street takeovers.
The 2024 Cherrydale incident led to arrests including rioting and conspiracy.
Opinion
Ritchie said street takeovers are a public-safety threat and the county will keep holding people accountable.
'Organized chaos': Greenville County authorities break down weekend street takeover arrests
Published 9 Sep 2026 accessed 16 Sep 2026
Facts
Donohue described the situation as organized chaos and the largest arrest event in his nearly 30 years.
Rep. David Martin of York County, the primary sponsor, said takeovers in Charlotte and South Carolina motivated the bill.
Donohue said some people were carrying underage or had convictions that barred them from having guns.
WYFF said the takeover was in an area of Greer off Wade Hampton Boulevard.
Donohue said social media has made it simpler to organize and facilitate the meetups.
Rep. Steven Long of Spartanburg County said the act lets law enforcement hold drivers and organizers accountable.
Rep. Brian Lawson said public roads should be safe for families, not blocked by takeovers.
The South Carolina Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Associations also supported the measure.
Opinion
Martin said there is no lawful purpose for the takeovers and that is why lawmakers had to crack down.
Donohue said he was proud of the deputies who orchestrated the arrests and towing.
Donohue said he was thankful the situation did not turn violent, given the weapons seized.
South Carolina Arrested 80 People At A Street Takeover — But The Real Punishment Is What Happens To Their Cars
Published 9 Sep 2026 accessed 16 Sep 2026
Facts
The stoplight is near a church, a daycare, and a cemetery.
A driver doing donuts faces up to a year in jail and a $500 fine on a first offense.
The law passed 109-1 in the House and 46-0 in the Senate.
The law creates three roles: participant, organizer, and aider or abettor.
Owners get 10 days' notice and 30 days to pay towing and storage before title can transfer to the seizing agency.
If a car is financed, the lender still has to pay the towing bill to recover collateral.
Opinion
Yahoo News said most of the 80-plus people were not driving.
Yahoo News said standing in the circle now carries legal exposure that can cost someone a vehicle they did not drive.
Yahoo News said ten firearms make the Greenville takeover a public-safety story, not a car-culture story.
Yahoo News said the 80 people are barely more culpable than jaywalkers under the letter of the law.
Yahoo News said a street takeover used to be described generously as a car meet that got out of hand.
Yahoo News said the real leverage in the law is the car, not jail time.
Yahoo News said deputies did not round up 80 street racers.
Yahoo News said the lopsided vote shows little patience left for this kind of chaos.
Yahoo News said insurance routinely excludes vehicles seized in illegal activity and will not make a forfeiture title transfer whole.
Yahoo News said the forfeiture rule matters for anyone who has loaned a car to a kid, sibling, or friend.
Yahoo News said cities and states have spent the summer trying to legislate street takeovers out of existence.