CLEVELAND — The City of Cleveland launched a task force to address recent street takeovers, but Cleveland isn't alone.

Columbus, Cincinnati and cities across the country are dealing with groups of people in cars and on the street doing stunts and blocking intersections. In the recent Cleveland incidents, one officer at University Circle Police Department was shot with an airsoft gun.

Anthony Battista’s love for law enforcement comes from his dad.

“My father, he always instilled in me a very deep respect for the rules and discipline, and do the right thing,” he said.

Batista is relatively new to the University Circle Police Department in Cleveland. Less than a year in, he’s already having to confront some high-pressure situations.

Dashcam footage from the September event showed one of the Cleveland intersections being hit and moving into University Circle.

Unruly crowds of about 50 people were seen on foot and in cars. They disrupted traffic, even blocked an ambulance trying to get a patient to the hospital.

Battista recalling the moments having to respond.

“The call came in a couple minutes before midnight that we had a street takeover,” he said.

While trying to disperse the takeover, Battista said he was taunted, and his partner was shot by an airsoft gun that hit him in the face and nearly pierced his eye.

“If they’re shooting airlift guns, we’re wondering when are the real guns going to come out,” he said.

Police waited for more backup to come, but eventually dismantled the takeover.

Batista handled only one other takeover prior to this one. It’s something departments across the state are suddenly dealing with, looking to learn from each other.

Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said they are learning from how Columbus responds.

“We’re looking to them. They have technology we don’t have, spike strips (and) we are looking at whether to change that in the future,” she said.

Departments across the country, including the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), recently arrested seven people while responding to takeovers. They also wrote more than 40 tickets and towed four cars.

Tommy Thompson, the public information officer with IMPD said they are not taking this lightly and are even using their drone team.

“We utilize drones we can then articulate to other officers what vehicles are causing the problem, because we can hone in from far away with the drone footage and we can also see the individuals responsible,” he said.

Batista warned street takeovers are dangerous, and a crime.

“My advice, don’t do it. You’re going to get caught. It’s not worth the consequences you could face,” he said.