https://news.yahoo.com/chp-release-aerial-video-stockton-164423777.html
“The California Highway Patrol released aerial video from their Air-21 helicopter of a Sunday night sideshow in Stockton.”
The link to the actual aerial video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1038401600767815
Here is a 1 month update on the sideshow situation within Northern California and this time we can get a first hand look at how it’s going down in San Joaquin County. Spoiler alert… not great. I was able to take a look at the footage that the Air 21 heli was able to capture and it was pretty upsetting to watch. The video captured a group of cars spinning donuts in the middle of Eighth and El Dorado street, surrounded by a large group of spectators. Not only is this a road and intersection that I am frequently crossing through, but it does happen to be part of a main thoroughfare (El Dorado goes North to South all the way through Stockton). You could obviously see how much traffic was backed up, adjacent to where the sideshow was taking place.
As seen in the video, shortly after the sideshow was broken apart by law enforcement, you could see some of the participating cars try to make a run for it through the oncoming traffic that was held up. This situation clearly puts pedestrians and other cars on the road in significant danger, as it only takes one unlucky person to get in the way of the vehicles that are trying to escape.
Later in the footage, we are able to see that cops have isolated the drivers on an open road, and are attempting to stop them. This of course turns into a length police chase- very movie like (again, putting lots of other people in danger and creating a fair amount of property damage). At one point, we are able to see several patrol cars stop one of the fleeing vehicles. When officers try to exit their car to apprehend the suspect, the suspect steps on the gas and tries to further escape, in reverse. Yes, the fleeing vehicle is now moving backwards down the road, with what looks like two blown rear tires. They eventually stop the suspect and are able to arrest him.
At first I wasn’t super bothered by the sideshows happening out in the Bay, closer to San Francisco. It was annoying to hear about, but I don’t spend the majority of my time there anymore. But now that I’m hearing about it more and more in the city that I live in, it’s definitely making me more upset. I get that there is much more flat space out here in the Central Valley, but that doesn’t change the fact that sideshows are still exhibits of reckless driving. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I wouldn’t have a problem with them if they were executed on private lots, away from people and other cars. The issues really become apparent, when bystanders are hit (or killed) as a result of these events. So let’s try to do better here. I’ll give another update when necessary.
God bless, stay safe out there,
Producer Reese
Social Media
