SFPD discuss plans to derail sideshows

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco police say they're monitoring chatter and preparing crews for the possibility of sideshows. It was just one week ago that a series of illegal car stunt shows took over the streets of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge. 

Police say they're working hard to stay one step ahead of the sideshow organizers, and they say a lot of the police work is done quietly after the shows are over.

Neighbors caught video of a sideshow on San Francisco's Embarcadero Friday, and witnesses wondered why the police couldn't stop the show that last around 30 minutes

"Since I was watching I saw two cop, police cars, SFPD cars; for some reason they couldn't get in," said resident Prasanna Pilaka.

SFPD say that's something they hear frequently. 

"So, I know a lot of times the public has a little bit of angst on when they don't see that we're responding fast enough," said Commander Peter Walsh. "But the reason for that is a plan of action is being taken."

Police say it's simply too dangerous for responding officers, sideshow drivers, observers, and bystanders to simply rush in and start making arrests. They say a better plan is to herd the drivers on a particular path, keep track of specific vehicles, share that information with neighboring agencies and stop and impound those vehicles when it's safer to do so. 

Last weekend, SFPD was able to identify at least one specific car from the Embarcadero after allowing it to leave the area safely, only to impound it just hours later. 

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: No arrests in weekend sideshows: 'Never saw this before in person,' bystander says

"The officers got the information on that car, relayed that information; that car participated on the Bay Bridge," said Walsh. "Oakland PD had that information and when those cars went, they picked off that car."

Police say multiple sideshows tend to pop up in rapid succession, so SFPD says it positions officers to make sure some of the sideshows stop before they even start. 

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"What people don't know, is that in that same night there were two or three other areas that those vehicles went to where officers had already arrived knowing the regular hot spots, and they were flushed out," said Commander Walsh. "They never had a chance to start after that."

Police emphasize that sideshows are a regional problem, with cars coming in from as far away as Stockton and Modesto. They say they work collaboratively with other departments to identify vehicles and impound them from wherever they're found.

Said impounded vehicles then spend a minimum of 30 days in impound with $3,000 in fees, and if investigators can put a driver behind the wheel, that driver can face criminal charges.