All articles tagged with #sideshows
Oakland experienced a night of chaos as sideshow participants engaged in violence, firing gunshots and setting cars on fire. Police responded by blocking escape routes, issuing tickets, towing cars, and making arrests. Residents expressed concern for their safety and called for a more proactive approach to addressing the issue, emphasizing the need for parental involvement and community engagement.
Multiple cars were set on fire and several arrests were made by Oakland police at various sideshows across the city. The events, which included drivers performing stunts and setting off fireworks, took place at different locations throughout the night and into the early morning. Police dispersed the crowds at some sites within minutes, and there were reports of a driver ramming a patrol car before being fired upon by officers. The police have indicated that they will release the spectators after citing them for participating in sideshow activity.
A series of sideshows occurred in at least four cities across the Bay Area, resulting in one person being injured with a broken ankle. The sideshows involved dangerous driving maneuvers, with vehicles doing donuts and spins, and even blocking the Bay Bridge for nearly 20 minutes, causing a traffic standstill. The police are investigating the incidents, and it is unclear if the same crowd was involved in all the sideshows.
Sideshows, illegal car stunts and gatherings in California, have become a growing concern for law enforcement due to property damage, violence, and occasional deaths. Recent crackdowns by California law enforcement, including increased fines and towing, have sparked debate between those who support the measures and those who view them as extreme. Sideshows, which originated as pop-up parties in the 1980s, involve car stunts like donuts and wheelies and have drawn hundreds of participants and spectators.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is urging social media companies like Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok to temporarily suspend accounts that post about local sideshow activities, in an effort to combat the growing sideshow problem in the city. Sideshows, where drivers gather to show off cars and perform stunts, have become more dangerous and popular due to social media. Mahan believes that social media platforms have a responsibility to help create a safe community and ensure that their platforms do not undermine law enforcement efforts. However, critics argue that this proposal may disproportionately target youth of color and raise concerns about privacy and legality. The meeting with the tech giants is scheduled for next month.
Twelve people were arrested and 15 vehicles were impounded in Stockton, California, as part of a crackdown on illegal sideshows. The police made 98 traffic stops and issued 41 citations. The arrests included five for firearms-related charges and two related to pursuits. Sideshows are illegal street events where drivers perform donuts and drifting in circles, often watched by crowds of dozens to hundreds of people. Stockton police are encouraging people to report illegal sideshows.
The LAPD responded to illegal street takeovers at three intersections in South Los Angeles, including San Pedro and Century Boulevard, Normandie and Florence Avenue, and Crenshaw Boulevard and Coliseum Street. No arrests were made, but police officers were present at the scenes. Spectators even blocked a maintenance truck from driving through one of the intersections.
Multiple sideshows occurred in the Bay Area early Saturday morning, with one resulting in a car fire in Oakland. Spectators shot fireworks at each other and threw bottles at police officers who arrived on the scene. Law enforcement had to use flash bangs to disperse the crowd. Two other sideshows occurred in Oakland and Crockett, respectively.