Homeland Security Intervenes After Texas Truck Takeover Descends Into Chaos
Cop car tires were slashed and property and landscaping torn to shreds during a takeover following the Lone Star Throwdown show on Feb. 25.
Takeovers and sideshows are a gross stain on automotive culture. These wild and usually unassociated afterparties prompt law enforcement to shut down events that draw enthusiasts from across the country, taking entertainment and economic support down with them. The same nearly happened this week with Lone Star Throwdown, a truck show staple in Conroe, Texas. Attendees dispersed after the show was over and assembled a meet of their own that was so violent and destructive that local Homeland Security stepped in.
Rumblings about the takeover started spreading after this year's Lone Star Throwdown ended on Feb. 25. The show's organizers quickly addressed it on social media, keeping most of the details unspoken while posting, "It’s a sad day when you have to fight to keep something you have worked so hard for because others were never taught respect." Word was that the contract for next year's show was at risk of being canceled as a result, and the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management arranged a meeting with LST promoters on Thursday, March 6.
In the meantime, support for the show poured in from everywhere. Vendors and longtime fans of LST petitioned law enforcement to allow the 2025 show to go on as planned, giving specific details of how the event isn't the problem—the people involved in the takeover are. A podcast interview with showrunners Lonnie Ford, Todd Hendrex, and Jarrod Dunahoo was posted live early this week, discussing the situation.
"Nothing happened at the event," Hendrex said on the C10 Talk Podcast. "The event went smoothly. To sit here and say we had almost 30,000 spectators, that is crazy.
"We grow with the show and make changes as we go along. Nothing happened at the event," Hendrex continued. "The things that are out of our control, that are having our contract pulled from us is the after-meet, the after-parties, the takeovers—whatever you want to call them. I'm not saying it's wrong to go meet in the parking lot; we've all done it our whole life. But the body cam footage I was able to see from some of these officers made me mad."
The footage Hendrex is talking about allegedly shows people stealing mobility karts from a local Kroger, putting their hands on officers, and serious property destruction. Burnouts carried on past the pavement and through the businesses' landscaping, obliterating more grass and greenery than black tire rubber. There were also people urinating on patrol units and attempting to free an individual who was in custody from the back of the cop car.
"I get that the outside community, when they look at it as a whole, [they believe] they're there because of us, which I get. But they're not," Hendrex said. "When I scoured through all of the videos, we only found three to four who had registrations that were doing stupid stuff."
The LST organizers' meeting with their local Homeland Security branch was successful on Wednesday. They were able to secure their contract for 2025 with the acknowledgment that next year, there will be no tolerance for illegal behavior. LST posted a photo from the meeting on social media, saying in the caption, "Accountability needs to happen in order for us to continue the event we have all poured our hearts into. Not just us as promoters but also the vendors, participants, and spectators. The amount of support we have received has shown we all have a stake in it. It also showed us how much we are supported and there are no words to express our gratitude for that. Your support didn’t go unnoticed."
A Montgomery County Homeland Security official replied, ending with, "It all starts with everyone helping keep the shenanigans out. Looking forward to a better working relationship."
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