Riverside County law enforcement officials are ratcheting up operations to crack down on so-called “sideshows,” which involve vehicle stunts on public roads, recently initiating surveillance in the Temecula Valley that netted nearly a dozen arrests and multiple vehicle impoundments.
The operation focused on the unincorporated community of De Luz, just west of Temecula, where residents had been complaining about noisy sideshows that posed public safety risks, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Mike Lassig said on Friday night, three officers from the agency’s Temecula station and six county sheriff’s deputies set up a surveillance at the location that residents had identified as the source of trouble, and “at approximately 11:15 p.m., a large group of motorists arrived … and began engaging in sideshow activities.”
Lassig said a total of seven vehicles were involved in the stunts, and the participants’ ages ranged from 17 to 24, though one motorist had an infant in his car.
The officers and deputies arrested 11 people on various misdemeanor allegations, including suspicion of speed exhibition, reckless driving, unlicensed operator of a motor vehicle, child endangerment and being a minor in possession of alcohol. The suspects were issued citations to appear in court at a future date and released. Their identities were not disclosed.
Four vehicles were impounded.
“Numerous mechanical violations were cited, including modified emissions systems, excessive exhaust noise and expired vehicle registration,” the CHP spokesman said.
He said the operation was intended to reinforce the point that while “sideshows … may seem exciting, they pose serious risks to the participants, bystanders and communities.”
“The CHP, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and allied law enforcement agencies have a zero-tolerance policy on illegal street racing and sideshows,” Lassig said.