SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Sideshows continue to be a nuisance and public safety concern in Sacramento. Over the weekend, police intercepted a massive one with hundreds of cars.
Police say stopping the sideshows in their tracks can deter future ones from happening because the drivers are being punished. Even if they aren’t handcuffed right away, it doesn’t mean police won’t go after them later.
"We hear it every single night. We hear the engines revving up and then we come out the next day (and) we see that it's right outside of our houses,” said Cabrillo Park Neighborhood Association president Duke Cooney.
Cooney lives in the same neighborhood where a mother of four was attacked while accidentally driving through a sideshow in February. The father of two says his entire community has noticed the uptick in sideshows.
"The biggest concerns are really around safety. I mean the incident we had a month ago, where the woman was just driving home from her kid's birthday dinner and she was pulled out of her car. It was a whole thing,” said Cooney.
Sacramento police told ABC10 they hear their community and understand their frustrations. It’s why the department is taking the stance of maximum enforcement and zero tolerance of sideshows within the city.
"On Saturday night, we had officers dedicated to a large sideshow (with) over 500 participants. The sideshow went through eight different locations throughout the city, and at the conclusion, we were able to make 12 tows and 13 citations, as well as two arrests,” said Cody Tapley, with the Sacramento Police Department.
Police are using intelligence-based information to find out the location, and how many people will be there to stay at the forefront of sideshows.
"We are obviously monitoring and trying to intercept information so we can be proactive about assigning officers to these events because they are a very draining resource on our police officers and so we have to make sure that we can adequately staff these so we can make those arrests,” said Tapley.
Cooney says he understands it’s not up to just law enforcement. One idea he has is making some changes to their streets.
"Oakland, where they have focused on the streets, they've added safety mechanisms to not only promote pedestrian safety but also to discourage people from going in there and doing donuts, and that's the way they've been combatting sideshows,” said Cooney.
Police say not to interfere or get in the middle of a sideshow. They also say they can cite people with violations if they’re participating or spectating, they can tow your vehicle for up to 30 days, and it can also lead to an arrest.
If you witness a sideshow, get yourself to a safe distance and call the non-emergency number if you’re in a safe spot, or you can call 911 if it’s an emergency.
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