Sprawling sideshows in Oakland have been sparking violent clashes between fans and angry residents – with shocking videos of the violence posted online.
The Fast and Furious-inspired events routinely bring hundreds of people flocking to see drag drivers doing extreme donuts on the streets of the California city while a circle of spectators watches on.
Amid the chaos of vehicles spinning out of control at 50mph as onlookers dive to dodge them, residents driven crazy by the events have clashed with the revelers in ugly scenes.
Dozens of fights have been caught on camera, along with vehicles being set on fire and rammed by other drivers who want the racing shut down.
Meanwhile, local police have been slammed for failing to cope with the criminality which is threatening to overrun the west coast city.
Shocking footage shows a car being torched while another vehicle rams into it and fireworks are projected across the streets of Oakland amid wider commotion
One video showed a local resident throw a red bucket at a car while it was mid-donut. The driver reacted by skidding to a stop before bolting from his car and violently attacking the man
A clip posted on Twitter shows a middle-aged man with graying hair trying to stop a sideshow, before being beaten by an angry mob.
Surrounded by two skidding vehicles at an intersection overlooked by large terraced homes, the man approaches one car with a red bucket, which he lobs at the window.
The driver reacts by screeching his car to a sudden stop before bolting out and charging at the resident.
As the resident backs away towards a sidewalk, the balaclava-clad driver – wearing a black hoodie, grey tracksuit bottoms and black crocs – throws punches at his head.
The man does not attempt to fight back, and even as he tumbles to the ground and goes limp, the attacker continues his violent onslaught with kicks to his head as onlookers surround them to watch.
A video filmed from the sidewalk shows how dozens of people wearing hoodies – mainly men – clamored to film the altercation and no-one intervened.
On another occasion, an Oakland sideshow escalated when a vehicle span out of control and knocked over a spectator, who rolled twice on the ground before getting up.
Videos also capture smoke from car tires filling the air as a driver does donuts and passengers hang precariously out of the back windows.
A broken fire hydrant can be seen ejecting water at least 10 feet into the air as a car skids in a circle nearby in one clip.
The attack video shows how the resident tried to back away while the driver repeatedly struck him on the head. Residents have warned people at sideshows – often masked – often pull guns when threatened by people taking pictures of their faces or licence plates
High-speed hoe-downs are a common sight in Oakland, where sideshows are overrunning the streets, often escalating into violent clashes and brawls between revelers and residents. One video shows a near-miss when a skidding car almost ran over a spectator
Spectators watched and jeered as a balaclava-clad driver wearing gray sweatpants with crocs violently attacked a resident who threw a bucket at his car as it spiraled across the intersection
More footage shows fireworks being set off in the street while parked cars are set on fire, with a commotion of car horns and people shouting in the background.
One driver repeatedly rams a blazing vehicle, while a hooded figure attempts to take a photograph of his face with a phone.
Sharing a video of the chaos on Twitter, one resident slammed the local mayor for presiding over the chaos.
‘Oakland sideshow had a brutal attack on a man and a hydrant going off!’ they said.
‘This is Oakland, aka Thaoland as mayor Sheng Thao has lost all control!’
Another person described Oakland as a ‘war zone’ while others condemned the people who filmed the resident getting beaten in the street.
Many speculated that he could have died, and questioned why law enforcers were not present.
American author Michael Shellenberger posted some of the shocking videos, adding: ‘Oakland voters felt law enforcement was too strict and so last fall elected a progressive D.A. who has stopped enforcing many laws.
‘The result is lawlessness, “sideshows,” and assaults carried out with impunity.’
‘Mayor Sheng Thao condemned the beating but nobody listens to her because she supported de-funding the police and so sideshows continue to terrorize residential neighborhoods, forcing working class families into their homes, fearing assault,’ he added.
Shellenberger said police are ‘helpless to stop the criminal sideshows’ because the mayor and DA Pamela Price ‘refuse to prosecute ‘nonviolent crimes’.
Oakland is the home of the sideshow, which was born in the city in the 1980’s as a peaceful way for car aficionados to show off their rides next to a carnival in the Foothill neighborhood.
However, the tradition has spiraled into something much more menacing, with the high-speed hoe downs often resulting in injuries and brawls.
Oakland resident Cheral Stewart said people ‘will pull guns on you’ at the sideshow events.
Footage shows fireworks being set off in the street while parked cars are set on fire, with a commotion of car horns and people shouting in the background
Outraged residents accused the driver who attacked the man who approached with a bucket as potentially having killed him, while deriding those who clamored to film rather than help
‘You can have hundreds of people watching,’ Stewart, who has worked in tech marketing and is a resident of the city, told The New York Post.
‘Then they start skidding their cars, drifting and doing donuts, one driver after the other.
‘Take photos of the license plates and people will pull guns on you.
‘Drivers wear bandannas or ski masks or covid masks. Some of the windshields are illegally tinted.
‘They shoot guns into the sky. Any activity goes. It’s like ‘Fast & Furious’ has come to our neighborhood.’
In the nearby city of Stockton, an 18-year-old boy was fatally shot at a sideshow event earlier this month.
Stockton Police said it is investigating the homicide, which took place just after 2am on July 2 in the area of Golden Gate Avenue and Main Street.
‘At approximately 2:30 a.m. a shooting occurred near Main St/Rendon St,’ the force said.
‘The victim, an 18-year-old male from Sacramento, was in that area when he was struck by gunfire.
‘At this point in the investigation, there is no known motive or suspect information.’
The force has appealed for the community’s help with the case, including videos of the night and any information about the perpetrator.
‘If you know something or saw something, please say something,’ they said, offering a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information which leads to an arrest.
Sideshows have also sparked chaos in other major cities – including street racers in Los Angeles who did donuts within inches of the crowd while one person fired a blowtorch into the air – in shocking scenes caught on camera.
Even the coronavirus lockdown did not stop California car fans gathering for sideshows during the first months of the pandemic.
Around 300 people gathered in Sacramento to watch cars perform stunts during a massive sideshow on Easter 2020, and an 18-year-old man was taken into police custody after he fled the scene and crashed into a California Highway Patrol car.
Oakland Police Department warned those who take part in ‘illegal sideshows’ that their cars could be towed and seized with a 30-day hold – though residents say officials are powerless to stop the lawlessness which has overrun the city in recent times
Police have shared safety tips for residents who come across sideshows, urging them not to ‘risk your life’ by approaching the people involved
Residents replied to the police post on Facebook, urging them to crush cars and post the evidence online.
Oakland Police also posted safety tips for residents who come across sideshows, urging them not to ‘risk your life’ by approaching the people involved.
‘Please don’t engage with individuals participating in the sideshow,’ the department warned. ‘Do not risk your life’.
‘If you encounter sideshow activities or if you are caught in the middle of a sideshow, look for a safe alternate route that will allow you to bypass the sideshow activities,’ they added.
‘If you are involved in a vehicle collision with a sideshow participant, do not confront the individual, instead call 911 to report the incident.’
The department asked people to report any illegal sideshows to [email protected].
