Five motorists arrested in Santa Rosa during crackdown on sideshow

For the past several weeks, hundreds of people have gathered in the Santa Rosa Marketplace parking lot on Friday nights to watch cars burn rubber and perform donuts in illegal “sideshows,” police said Saturday.

To crack down on the raucous activity, including loud music and drinking, Santa Rosa police set up cameras and stopped numerous cars leaving the area in a special operation Friday night.

The crackdown led to the arrest of five men on suspicion of reckless driving in a parking lot among other charges, police said. Uriel Cordova-Lomei, 27, of Santa Rosa, was also arrested for child endangerment as he had his two small children in the back seat of his red Ford Mustang as he took part in the sideshow.

Nicholas Uribe, 23, of Santa Rosa, and Mario Espinosa, 20, of Santa Rosa, were arrested on probation violations.

The other two men taken into custody were Mario Hernandez, 31, of Santa Rosa and Raymond Herrera, 18, of Healdsburg.

Santa Rosa police said officers will continue to uphold a zero-tolerance policy for illegal sideshows and the reckless driving they promote.

You can reach Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at 707-521-5203 or nick.rahaim@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nrahaim.