NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk police have released images of people they believe are connected to a street takeover in the West Ghent neighborhood Sunday night, as investigators work to identify everyone involved and prosecutors weigh potential criminal charges.
Neighbors shared video with News 3 showing cars spinning donuts near Redgate Avenue and Greenway Court while crowds filled the streets and flames lined the road.
Paul Rice, president of the West Ghent Civic League, says residents are angry and worried the behavior will continue if those responsible are not held accountable.
"Neighbors are mad as they should be," Rice said.
"They know that if there's no consequences for those actions that those actions will continue," Rice said.
A major frustration among neighbors has been the police response time. Norfolk Police say the first 911 call came in at 8:22 p.m. An officer was dispatched five minutes later but had to divert to a higher priority emergency.
"The officers who were originally dispatched were redirected to a call with a man being chased by 8 people — at least one of the people had a gun," Norfolk Police Chief Mark Talbot said.
"So that call took precedent over that incident," Talbot said.
An officer arrived at the Redgate scene at 8:40 p.m., 18 minutes after the first calls for help.
Talbot says investigators do not view what happened as harmless behavior.
"It wasn't just kids having fun — it was people engaging in life threatening behavior," Talbot said.
Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi says prosecutors are reviewing several possible criminal charges tied to the takeover.
"I could not believe in the middle of the city in Norfolk people would be doing things that stupid and that dangerous," Fatehi said.
"Reckless driving, the vandalism, contributing to the delinquency of minors for encouraging underage people to be committing these sorts of crimes. We are lucky that those dudes doing donuts didn't kill anybody," Fatehi said.
Fire officials say the danger stretched beyond the roadway. Norfolk Fire Marshal Damon Langley says the close proximity of homes in West Ghent made the situation especially hazardous.
"Close knit neighborhood, the houses are close — we've been in a pretty significant drought so the possibility for something to occur and just expand is exponential," Langley said.
Detectives say more charges could soon follow as the investigation continues.
"Well, stay tuned for that," Talbot said.
Norfolk police are asking anyone who recognizes the people featured in the released photos to contact investigators or submit tips through Crime Line.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
