Vallejo police investigate sideshow that drew over 1,000 participants
The police department received hundreds of calls during the Independence Day holiday.
(Warning: Video contains potentially-disturbing images)
The Vallejo Police Department says it is appealing to city officials for solutions after a dangerous and busy Fourth of July holiday.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the police department said it received hundreds of emergency phone calls from residents on July 4, including more than 600 calls for service.
More than 380 of those calls were related to illegal fireworks use in the City of Vallejo, where all kinds of fireworks are prohibited, the police department said.
Police said their efforts to curb the use of illegal fireworks was severely hampered by a large exhibition of vehicles, known as a sideshow, that assembled in nearly a dozen parts of the city.
In one instance, police alleged spectators threw fireworks in the direction of officers. One person also reportedly tossed an M-1000 firework that exploded near police officers on the scene, the agency complained.
Ten vehicles were seized and towed by officers, five citations were issued, and one arrest was made, police affirmed on Tuesday.
As if their problems were not enough, police said they also responded with fire medics to more than a dozen car crashes throughout the city, including one in which a 41-year-old male received critical injuries after his car reportedly wrapped around a tree along the 2700 block of Georgia Street. Police say alcohol does not appear to be a factor in that collision.
Four other injury crashes and nine hit-and-runs were reported around the same time, police said.
Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams said he appreciated the efforts of his officers during the holiday weekend, but the time had come for city officials to find real solutions to the ongoing sideshow activity and the recent use of illegal fireworks.
“As a means to restore order, we will be assessing and implementing all viable options to ensure the safety of our residents,” Williams said in a statement released on Tuesday. “We must take back our streets from violators that blatantly disregard community safety. Our officers and staff need your support, understanding and cooperation as we endeavor [to] solve this problem together.”
One solution being considered by city officials is an ordinance that would ban spectators from assembling at the scene of sideshows. Williams said his agency is working with the city attorney to finalize the proposal.
The police department said it is also hoping city officials will approve the deployment of additional traffic cameras, automated license plate readers and plastic road bumps (known as “Botts’ Dots”) in order to mitigate future sideshow activity. The agency also wants to form a task force with the specific focus on investigating sideshows, which would include officers seeking seizure warrants for vehicles in appropriate cases.
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