Petaluma Police Department
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Issued by: Jennifer Pritchard, Community Engagement Liaison
[email protected], 707-778-4458
There has been a lot of news lately regarding Sideshows, which are illegal car stunt exhibitions that occur in local public intersections, freeways and vacant lots. The infamous Sideshow first appeared in Oakland in the 1980’s as informal social gathering for youth. Over the past few years they have spread to other cities in the Bay Area and other states. In Sonoma County, Sideshows have traditionally been witnessed in larger numbers in Santa Rosa. However, recently they have begun to occurred more frequently in Petaluma.
Common Sideshow activities include spinning the vehicle's tires while driving in a circle, sometimes referred to as, “doughnuts," or “ghost riding" where the driver climbs out of the vehicle and onto the hood of the car, or they stand next to the car in motion. In many cases, drivers use highly customized cars or even small compacts. Participants usually organize the events through social media platforms and select centralized locations to meet. Sideshows can draw over 100 vehicles participating in these events, adding to the danger to both the drivers and spectators. Violent incidents, including fights, shootings, and fatal collisions have occurred at some shows. Innocent drivers sometimes become trapped because the roadway is blocked by participants.
To combat Sideshow activity, cities have enacted no cruising laws, and ordinances prohibiting spectators from watching the shows. There are many current vehicle code violations, including reckless driving, exhibition of speed and mechanical violations that the drivers can be cited for to discouraged continued behavior. Some law enforcement agencies have begun to impound vehicles for 30 days that were determined to be driving recklessly or participating in a Sideshow.
For car and racing enthusiasts, there are many car and truck clubs that meet every weekend in Sonoma County that do not drive illegally or create any problems. Our area is also lucky to have Sonoma Raceway, which offers Wednesday Night Drags and Sonoma Drift, were drivers can legally race or drift their own vehicles.
To report dangerous in-progress Sideshow activity, community members are encouraged to call 9-1-1 immediately. When calling our dispatch center, please remember to report the descriptions of the vehicle and driver, license plate and the location of where the vehicle is traveling.
For non-emergencies, or to submit tips that may aid in Sideshow activity reduction, community members can either call the Petaluma Police Department mainline directly at 707-778-4372, use the NIXLE platform, our go online to the Petaluma PD Crime Tip pages. These platforms allow community members to upload images and video which help in identifying Sideshow participants.
Petaluma PD online Crime Tip websites:
https://cityofpetaluma.org/file-police-report/
https://cityofpetaluma.org/submit-crime-tip/
Thank you for your partnership in public safety.
