The practice of street sideshows has become somewhat common among some of the car community. Because of their vast nature, a single traffic stop usually isn’t enough to put an end to them once they get started. Recently, a fairly big sideshow happened in California and led to multiple arrests and a few cars being impounded. Of course, this dangerous activity is akin to street takeovers. 

It took more than a traffic stop to end this sideshow

Typically, a police traffic stop can end dangerous road activity. However, this isn’t always the case when several vehicles are involved. According to Mercury News, Richmond, California, police officers were alerted of a sideshow occurring shortly after midnight on November 9th. It happened near the 1300 block of Canal Boulevard. 

Once on the scene, the police observed about 50 vehicles and 200 participants. Naturally, the drivers saw the police cars and immediately tried to get away to avoid a traffic stop. Sadly, their fleeing methods included driving the wrong way, using vehicles on sidewalks, and going over medians. This could have caused significant harm to the participants and anyone else who happened to have been out. 

Since the drivers refused their respective traffic stops, police officers had to use other means of confronting the dangerous drivers. They resorted to using spike strips, which were able to stop at least one vehicle. This vehicle had four people inside, and they were all arrested. In the end, nine people were arrested. Authorities also impounded four cars, which they will hold for 30 days. 

The police department used this as a teachable moment. They took to social media to warn that sideshows “pose serious risks to everyone involved. These reckless gatherings put lives at stake, from participants to bystanders.” Of course, the same is true for street takeovers. 

For more reading, check out this recent article on another California sideshow.