Four Arrested, Guns Seized During San Jose Saturday Night Sideshow Crackdown
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Four suspects were arrested, firearms seized and spectators given citations Saturday night during a San Jose crackdown on the growing violence surrounding illegal sideshows.
San Jose police took to social media to report on the results of their Saturday night efforts.
"Along with the dangerous and reckless driving we often get reports of gunfire at these events," SJPD posted. "Last night we arrested 3 suspects for illegally possessing these 3 guns."
Officials also placed 5 vehicles in a 30-day impound, made one arrest for reckless driving and issued over 40 citations, many for municipal code spectator violations.
San Jose police were just one of several Bay Area law enforcement agencies that put extra patrols on the streets this weekend to target sideshows and the surging violence that surrounds them.
In San Francisco, the police department's Stunt Driving Response Unit was patrolling the streets and maintaining high visibility.
"We'll be prepared to respond to any reports of sideshow activity," SFPD tweeted. "Additional officers have been added to our current staffing for the weekend."
Meanwhile in Oakland, police partnered with the California Highway Patrol and Alameda County Sheriff's Department to add enforcement om the city's streets.
Oakland police said they will impound participants' cars for 30 days and ticket spectators at sideshows.
"(We had) two people with gunshot wounds as a result of participating in a sideshow," said Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. "We often have seen a huge increase in ShotSpotter activations at the sideshows."
Oakland business owner Tadesse Teklemichael told KPIX 5 that enforcement is good, but a short-term fix. There are large sideshows regularly at an intersection near his business.
"Unsafe, I don't feel safe," said Teklemichael. "If it continues, they are going to kill someone or they are going to damage properties."
