In a decisive crackdown on illegal street racing, authorities in San Joaquin County swiftly moved to halt a sideshow this past weekend, resulting in the detention of over 150 individuals and the seizure of nearly 90 cars.
Police in San Joaquin County infiltrated a local group planning the sideshow event and prepared an appropriate response. When the event began, officers swooped in, contained the group, and started handing out tickets and towing vehicles.
Sideshows are a major issue for California along with various other states. Despite several tactics to reduce or eliminate the problem, none have been especially effective. Brute force might end up being the only way to handle these reckless crowds as San Joaquin County Police may have proven on February 3rd.
More: Tesla Driver Smashes Through Cars To Escape Mob Attack In Chicago Sideshow Takeover
San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office
The department says that it learned about a takeover planned for that day and then coordinated with a number of other departments to shut it down. Once authorities confirmed illegal activity at the intersection of Country Club Blvd and Pershing Ave they moved in and contained the attendees.
In total, they detained, identified, processed, and released over 150 people. The 88 vehicles seized include all those that blocked the intersection and those that participated. Police say that they’ve already found drugs and illegal firearms in many of the vehicles impounded. In three cases they booked individuals for resisting arrest and fleeing. In one case, a driver ended up with an assault with a deadly weapon charge after hitting a police car while fleeing.
All of the cars will be held for an “undetermined amount of time” while the case is under investigation. Sheriff Patrick Withrow went on Instagram to communicate something to the affected owners. “Stop calling… no need to keep calling… we’ll determine if your car is a public nuisance and whether it’ll be destroyed or not,” he said.
This kind of response might not be possible across other cities with similar sideshow problems. San Joaquin County said that police departments from Stockton, Lodi, Sacramento, and Manteca all played a part in containing the group. It even called in the police force from Delta College nearby to help. On top of that it needed multiple tow companies standing by to handle the event.