The California Highway Patrol is thanking members of the public in a Facebook post after they alerted them to a dangerous 'street takeover,' also called a 'sideshow', which have been popping up across Southern California.
In a nutshell, drivers of several cars stop traffic and engage in dangerous stunts, donuts and burnouts, without regard if other cars, pedestrians or bystanders are nearby. Sometimes these incidents are promoted on social media and people gather to watch, putting themselves in danger.
Law enforcement says those engaging in these dangerous situations are doing so in an effort to become famous on social media. They say the incidents are extremely dangerous to the public and there's been a big effort by law enforcement to crack down on them.
This particular incident started in Oakland around 10:45am on Sunday when 911 operators received several calls from the public about cars on the freeway engaging in street takeover behaviors. Dispatchers were told the cars were headed to the Bay Bridge, and officers headed that way.
According to the CHP Facebook post:
"At 1045 hours video was taken by a passerby of vehicles stopping traffic on the Bay Bridge west of Treasure Island heading into San Francisco. These vehicles were engaging in side show activity on the freeway. Multiple units from the CHP San Francisco Area responded and were able to take the driver of one of these vehicles into custody. Numerous other vehicles suspected to be involved with the side show were also stopped for mechanical violations as they exited the Bay Bridge.
The driver of the white Mustang will be booked for reckless driving and exhibition of speed and his vehicle impounded for 30 days. Drivers of the other vehicles stopped were cited for various mechanical violations and one of those vehicles was also impounded as the driver was determined to be unlicensed.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for calling in the crimes witnessed as well as providing us with video evidence to assist with charges filed. Again we want to remind all of the dangers involved to participants and innocent bystanders from side show involvement and reckless driving. Have a safe Sunday.