Walnut Creek police are trying to track down the people involved in the sideshow early Saturday morning at the downtown intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Locust Street that caused $11,000 worth of damage to city streets and sidewalks.
Chief Jamie Knox told the City Council on Tuesday night he expects warrants to be issued, allowing police to impound involved vehicles.
“We do not take this crime lightly at all,” Knox said. “It’s a serious offense and a lot of damage was done to our city and we will prosecute suspects to the fullest extent of the law.”
It was a warning from Concord police at 1 a.m. Saturday that scrambled Walnut Creek police to the Ygnacio Valley Road and Treat Boulevard areas to intercept vehicles headed south.
While police searched the northeastern part of the city, vehicles gathered downtown. Police got a call from someone outside Century Theater that people gathered outside to watch cars take over the intersection, spinning donuts and driving recklessly.
Police said they responded quickly and cut off three sides of access to the intersection, forcing cars to exit through the only available direction. A few were pulled over and cited, but the rest got away before mutual aid could arrive from neighboring police departments. At the time, area units not sent toward Concord were deployed on other calls.
Lt. Drew Olson told the council officers gave dispersal orders and deployed smoke devices to encourage people to exit. They also collected license plate numbers.
“We are following up,” Olson said. “Our investigations bureau is actively writing warrants to try and follow up on this and hold anybody responsible that we can.”
Knox said the law allows police to impound offenders’ cars for 30 days.
“We will seek charges for restitution and will hold the offenders accountable,” Knox said. “And make no mistake, if you come to Walnut Creek and participate in sideshow activity, not only will we tow your car, we will impound it for 30 days. If we can arrest you, we will and we will book you.”
Knox said, though the offenses appeared to be misdemeanors, the law gives police “good teeth, if you will.”
“Because nobody wats to lose their car for 30 days,” Knox said. “On top of it being gone for 30 days, the fees can be upward of $2,500.”
Though usually associated with bigger urban areas like Oakland and San Jose, sideshows are become more frequent in Contra Costa County. Walnut Creek police got another warning about sideshows in East County early Sunday morning. One such incident in Antioch around 12:40 a.m. Sunday reportedly involved 60 to 80 cars taking over the intersection at 18th and A streets, where some in an estimated crowd of 200 also set off fireworks.
25 comments
Wcpd was siting there watching this happen.. y’all just look embarrassing right now
“Ya’ll”. Seriously.
Y’all is correct. And misappropriating my language is a serious microaggression that will probably result in coal in your Christmas stocking. Either that, or your eggnog will be replaced with boiled custard.
Spike strips and nails should work perfectly. Ace hardware in Walnut Creek should do a promo “buy a product get a box or nails.” TEach citizen walks. Around with a box. When they see a sideshow, let the nails go ! That Will stop them
As my Grandma always said, ‘Nothing good happens outside after midnight.’
I say forget the impounding. Bring a car crusher, and crush the cars for all to watch. That will change some attitudes.
A deceased client of mine, teaching a trial law class at U of Montana, had issues with students watching videos during class. If caught, he told them their laptops would be smashed with the hammer he carried in his briefcase. This was when wifi was new.
Took just one fool and laptop smashed with the hammer in front of everyone to end the problem.
That sounds like a blatantly criminal act (destroying someone else’s laptop).
Best idea yet!
I wonder if they’ll go after BLM for de-facing the streets from awhile ago Or is it just tire marks they are going after because that’s the next in thing people are talking about now. Only doing it because people are talking about it. If this never made the news bet you WCPD doesn’t do anything. Which isn’t a step up from the save face they are trying to do now.
@T Rex
It appears that the Burning Looting and Murdering (BLM) that went on for 9 1/2 months is ok. But the 4 hours at the capital is all they can talk about.
The hypocrisy is incredible. The democratic media has failed us.
Damned White people!
And yet the January 6 prisoners are being treated worse than GITMO terrorists. Nancy Pelosi should be perpwalked naked in January.
@Jelly doughnut
It must have been white people, nothing was Burned, Looted or Murdered 😜
All they need is one person to keep an eye on social media for the county. Eighty people are getting their info somewhere.
Block all means of egress and do this: https://youtu.be/ZDAlifCmd8w
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Wanna stop sideshows?
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Confiscate their cars and crush them while watched by the vehicle owner/guilty driver.
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That would send a serious message and stand as a significant deterrent, right?
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What a crock going after people doing donuts..
I was watching the WC action and actually enjoyed the show.
11k in damage to the intersection and sidewalk? Since when does tire rubber on those surfaces cause damage?
Get over it people, and the cops need find something better to do them impound people’s cars for doing donuts.
I look forward to watching the next sideshow if it happens unexpectedly in front of me.
Most likely the hourly wages of city employees to enforce and cleanup afterwards.
If they confiscate & sell the vehicles they could use the money to pay for the police & court costs to stop them. After losing a few cars they would stop. $2500 is nothing. It hasnt worked yet, time to step up the punishment. They also need to add 30 days trash pickup on the freeways for each violation. That includes the spectators. The county needs to look into opening a track where they can do tricks & race. Have stands for the spectators. If the kids had a place to go they wouldnt hardly ever do it on the city streets. Remember what we did at that age. Kids could go to Baylands & drag race. Safer for everyone
“Prosecute to the fullest extent of the law”. That really gives us a lot of hope and confidence.
My Dad used to say years ago that vigilante justice is where this country was going towards to correct things. Thought he did not know what he was talking about. So sad now to know he was way ahead of his time.
The Walnut Creek “Nutshell” newsletter came out yesterday. The new mayor has been “rotated in”, and listed their top priorities for 2022:
#1 is diversity, equity, and inclusion.
#5 is social welfare and public safety.
That pretty much tells you where their heads are.
OK, let’s see this happen!
I hope it’s just not big talk. We need to show these punks what can happen and they will stay out of Walnut Creek for sure in the future
Walnut Creek about to be a bunch of empty buildings in downtown.
Funny, when I was younger kids from Walnut Creek used to make fun of Martinez and concord. I guess Walnut Creek is where the ghetto is now.
Impounding cars involved for 30 days will hurt if the jerks are making car payments, insurance costs ( if they can keep insurance ! ) and courts costs.
Jerks should pay for cleanup of all the skid marks.
Just a matter of time before bystanders are killed..
Race car drivers that win don’t set a good example doing donuts. Children are too impressionable. Lack of brain development.
Clean up skid marks? The only skid marks that I see on roadways are the ones that say BLM on them and they go for a whole block, BLM is the real skid mark on society.
Donuts and sideshows, cops aren’t going to stop them or even slow them down no matter what they threaten to do or they actually do, these people that are doing this don’t care what the cops do or think but one of these times one of the cops is going to go a little overboard and that’s going to be the end of the cops trying to stop this sort of behavior.
Long live donuts, it’s a tradition that’s been going on for 50 plus years and it ain’t about to stop.
If the police and highway patrol are serious about punishing motorists that “perform” these sideshows as well as those who drive 100 mph or over, they will attach these violations to the vehicle’s registration. You think these punks need incentive to stop? Just wait till they try to sell their vehicles to someone.
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